Interstate IPL betting gang busted, 5 held, Rs 3.92cr seized

Kanpur: Fazalganj police busted an interstate gang involved in illegal betting during IPL matches and recovered Rs 3.92 crore in cash and key documents linked to the betting operations.

The police said the gang facilitated bets worth crores of rupees through apps and websites. Five accused, including three from Gujarat, one from Fazalganj and one from the Nazirabad area, were arrested from the spot.

The case came to light after police received a tip-off from an informer that two youths in a white car parked under the Govind Nagar bridge were operating online betting on IPL matches. Acting on the information, a police team raided the spot and arrested Kartik Lakhwani and Rajkumar from the vehicle. The police recovered key clues related to betting during the search.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed a rented hideout in Kidwai Nagar from where the network was operated. The police raided the second location and arrested three more bookies, Kalpesh, Ravi Nai and Vishnu. The police said all the accused were residents of Gujarat and were staying in the city.

Six mobile phones, two currency notes counting machines, a car and digital devices besides the cash were seized. The police said that the accused provided betting IDs through online apps and collected money from across the city.

The police identified the mastermind as Manish alias Professor, who is absconding. Several teams were conducting raids at various locations to arrest him. Officials said the gang’s links might extend to other states.

Cases were registered against all the accused under the Public Gambling Act. The police wrote to the income tax department seeking an investigation into the racket. The recovered cash would be handed over to the income tax department.

On this successful operation, police commissioner Raghubir Lal announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 for the team that busted the betting racket.