13 Bookies Held in IPL Betting Racket Raid at Panvel Farmhouse

Navi Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai crime branch team, in coordination with the Panvel taluka police, have arrested 13 bookies for online betting on the IPL-T20 cricket match between the Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans teams after conducting a raid at a farmhouse in Panvel on Friday night.

PI (crime) Anand Kamble of Panvel taluka said the raid was conducted at Gavdevi farmhouse in Wakdi, Panvel taluka, on Friday after 10 pm. Thirteen men (bookies) at the premises were found betting and accepting bets from customers by sending them a link to download the 'Lotus365' App for online betting, and offering them returns on winning bets. The accused had rented the farmhouse since the IPL matches began on March 28. Out of those arrested, one accused is from Ratnagiri, four are from Delhi, 3 from Rajasthan and Assam each, and 2 from UP.

“We have seized their mobiles, credit cards, 16 SIM cards, one Tab, a passbook, and a cheque book. As all betting transactions were being processed online by the bookies, the names of bettors who had transferred money online to their bank accounts will be obtained, and the bettors will also be arrested for the offence of gambling. The arrested accused were booked under relevant sections of the Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act and the Information Technology Act. On Saturday, the 13 accused were produced before Panvel court that remanded them to police custody till June 2,” Kamble said.