India: 4 arrested over illegal cricket betting
Police in Panchkula have arrested four five people who were allegedly involved in illegal cricket betting.
India.- Police claim to have dismantled an illegal online cricket betting operation in Panchkula with the arrest of four people. Officers seized 26 mobile phones, six laptops and ₹35,000 that had allegedly been bet on the outcome of the London cricket series.
According to the Hindustan Times, those arrested are Shalesh Vyaas, 25, and Vishal Chugh, 23, of Sri Ganganagar; Robin Narang, 29 of Bikaner; and Bhim Singh of Nepal. The police launched an operation against gambling in the city on August 29, arresting 21 gamblers, according to DCP Surender Pal Singh. So far this year, 458 gamblers have been arrested and ₹12.36 lakh has been recovered.
In another case, seven people were charged under sections of the Public Gambling Act, 1867 on Monday.
In July, police in the state of Gujarat arrested four people in a raid targeting an illegal betting operation that apparently broadcast fake cricket matches to raise bets.
During the raid, police discovered a large cricket pitch equipped with strategically placed cameras to simulate a real playing field. In order to make matches look like authentic, players wore T-shirts similar to those used in the IPL matches and running commentary was used. Players reportedly received a competition fee of Rs 400.
Betting on cricket, India’s most popular sport, is illegal, and there have been several raids this year. So far this year, Police in Delhi have arrested more than 3,502 people in 1,489 raids related to illegal gambling. According to The Hindu, most of the arrests were linked to illegal gambling around IPL cricket.
