Jharsuguda: In a major crackdown on illegal cricket betting during the ongoing IPL season, Jharsuguda police on Monday busted an online betting racket operating from rented houses in Brajrajnagar’s Gandhi Chowk and Rampur areas and arrested eight persons involved in the operation.
Police seized cash worth Rs 5.09 lakh along with laptops, mobile phones and vehicles used in the betting network.
The accused were identified as Rahul Sahu of Rajgangpur in Sundargarh district and local residents Govind Das Mahant, Akash Srivastava, Vishal Kumar Ravi, Bhim Kumar Ram, Manu Singh, Shankar Prasad Ram and Rajiv Kumar.
According to police, the accused were allegedly running an online IPL betting syndicate by using mobile applications and digital payment platforms.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, two teams from Brajrajnagar police conducted simultaneous raids at the rented premises and apprehended the accused while betting activities were underway.
During the raid, police recovered Rs 5,09,100 in cash and froze another Rs 3.70 lakh deposited in different bank accounts through online transactions. Police also seized two laptops, 41 mobile phones, one MPV and one subcompact SUV allegedly used for operating the racket.
Investigators suspect that the accused were misusing the Cricket Live app to facilitate IPL betting and attract people with promises of quick financial gains. Police are now probing the financial trail and possible links of the accused with larger betting syndicates operating outside the district.
Jharsuguda SP Gundala Reddy Raghavendra said efforts are underway to identify and arrest the mastermind behind the racket.
“The investigation is in progress and the kingpin of the operation will be arrested soon,” the SP said.
