Five cricket bookies nabbed from premium hotel in Ahmedabad

AHMEDABAD: “Play’ the cricket betting programme has become hot favorite with the big time cricket bookies across Gujarat and Mumbai. The details emerged during interrogation of five bookies including Jayesh Thakker of Babhar in Banaskantha, nabbed from a room of premium hotel located near Vastrapur Lake on Monday. Assistant Commissioner of Police, cyber cell Rajdeep Zala said the bookies had got the “Play” programme from a man in Unjah of Mehsana.The programme was used to note betting details placed by “Punters”. Inspector JS Geddam of cyber cell said on tip off that five bookies including Thakker are taking bets on a one day match between Bangladesh and England they raided the hotel premises following legal procedures of a search warrant.
“In room no 1028 we found that Thakker along with Lakhiram Tejvani also known as Lakhi Sihori, Raju Rana, Vishal Thakker and Hiralal Patel of Udaipur were taking bet on the one dayer between England and Bangladesh” added Gaddam. Cyber cell sources said they have seized 10 laptops, 23 cell phones, one voice recorder, one Dongle and a Tv set. “During interrogation of the accused it came to light that they were taking rates from two betting websites and according to that take bets on cell phone from their customers. The bets were noted down in the specially designed programme “Play” Gaddam said.
Cyber cell sources said they are retrieving names of the customers who had placed the bets on the match from the laptops seized from the bookies. “We are also probing the role of certain bookies and businessmen from Mumbai and Delhi in the cricket betting racket” cyber cell sources added. During the probe it has come to light that Jayesh Thakker and Lakhi Sihori are big-time bookies and use to handle small time bookies from Ahmedabad to the entire North Gujarat belt.