India: police bust illegal cricket betting racket in Hyderabad

Police in Nizampet, a satellite city of Hyderabad, identified three gangs who were allegedly taking bets on IPL cricket matches.

India.- A new operation has been carried out against illegal betting on cricket matches in India. Police in Nizampet near Hyderabad caught three gangs allegedly taking bets on an IPL cricket match between the Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans on Saturday.

Police say they discovered bets being taken through apps and by phone. Several people were arrested and Rs 10.65 lakh in cash was confiscated. On the same night, police arrested an alleged bookmaker in a raid at Gokul Flats of Miyapur while another gambler was arrested at Dammaiguda of Jawaharnagar.

Betting on cricket, India’s most popular sport, is illegal, and there have been several raids in recent weeks.

Police in Kolkata recently arrested three people who were allegedly betting via their mobile phones on an IPL cricket match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Lucknow SuperGiants (LSG). Previously, Rahatani Police carried out a raid at a flat targeting a gang that was allegedly taking online bets on the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals.

So far this year, Police in Delhi have arrested 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. It comes after a drop in arrests in recent years. Some 5,776 people were 2020 and 8,009 in 2019.