The Crime Branch Unit No. 2 of Nagpur Police busted an online cricket betting racket operating near IT Park under the Pratap Nagar police station limits during a late-night raid on Saturday. Four persons were arrested, while one accused is still on the run.
According to police, the Crime Branch team received specific input around 10.30 pm about illegal betting being carried out on a live Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Chennai and Delhi. Acting on the tip-off, officials conducted a raid at Flat No. 401 on the fourth floor of Siddhant Saksham Apartment in Lokhande Nagar near IT Park.
During the operation, four accused were caught red-handed while placing and accepting bets through mobile phones.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Aman Parmanand Pathak (26) of Ganpati Nagar on Godhani Road in Mankapur; Akash Jayanti Guhil (27) from Sujata Shopping Centre in Bhayandar (East), Mumbai; Shreyas Saptarishi Lanjewar (21) of Republican Nagar near Shravasti Buddha Vihar in Nagpur; and Mushir Ahmed Matin Ahmed (22) from Nawa Nakasha in Lashkaribagh under Pachpaoli police station limits. Police said another accused, identified as S.K., is absconding.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused were allegedly running an online betting network on live cricket matches. They are said to have generated illegal betting links and provided IDs and passwords to users via mobile phones. To conceal financial transactions and evade taxes, they reportedly used rented bank accounts.
During the raid, police seized 11 mobile phones of various brands and 11 bank passbooks from different banks, with the total value of the recovered material estimated at Rs3.92 lakh.
A case has been registered at Pratap Nagar Police Station, and further investigation is underway.
👉 Click here to read the latest Gujarat news on TheLiveAhmedabad.com