Hi-tech IPL booking racket busted, 5 bookies arrested
   Date :28-Mar-2019

 
 
 
Staff Reporter RAIPUR,
 
Mar 27
 
3 hi-tech gadgets systematically fitted in a travel case and known as ‘Ponga’, 66 mobile handsets, two laptops, one LCD TV, set-top box, software containing betting accounts worth Rs 50 lakh and Rs 54,870 cash were also seized
 
In an attempt to keep cricket clean from betting, Raipur police was keeping close watch on suspected bookies. Eventually, on Wednesday, a joint team of Raipur police and the cyber cell succeeded in busting a betting racket and arrested five bookies. Three hi-tech gadgets systematically fitted in a travel case and known as ‘Ponga’, 66 mobile handsets, two laptops, one LCD TV, set-top box, software containing betting accounts worth Rs 50 lakh and Rs 54,870 cash were seized from the possession of arrested bookies. The bookies were accepting cricket betting amount through punters and phone, Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Prafull Kumar Thakur said. The ASP (City) further informed that the arrested bookies were identified as Mohit Somani (31), Ankur Khandelwal (35), Jai Khandelwal (40), Vivek Vishne (25), residents of localities under Azad Chowk police station, and Ashwani Sharma (30) of Shankar Nagar falling in limits of Pandri police.
 
The arrested were linked to bookies in big cities like Mumbai as well as Delhi and based on inputs collected from them, further action will be taken. “For operating the betting racket, the accused have procured the foreign-made hi-tech gadgets from a Mumbai-based bookie. The seized gadgets help bookies in accepting bets through multiple mobile phones, simultaneously have conversation with all clients and also provide the facility to record every conversation they have with their clients. Moreover, the bookies were using a special type of software for maintaining accounts of the illegal but yet highly lucrative business of cricket satta,” stated ASP Thakur.
 
With the help of seized mobile phones and inputs gathered from the arrested bookies, police will soon be taking action their punters, betting clients and people linked to the racket, stated ASP Thakur. Shedding more details about the police action, ASP said that following a tip-off about people in Ramsagarpara under Azad Chowk police limits are taking bets against IPL T20 match between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils, a police team swung into action and caught these five bookies red-handed.