IPL Betting Racket Busted In Goa, 10 Arrested

Panaji: The Crime Branch of the Goa Police has busted an illegal IPL cricket betting racket and arrested 10 persons, an official said on Friday. Raids were conducted at two villas in Ribandar on the basis of a tip-off, said Superintendent of Police (Crime) Rahul Gupta.

In the first raid, conducted past midnight on April 16 at Karekar Residency, police apprehended eight persons, hailing from states including Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, he said.

During the search, police seized 48 mobile phones, four laptops, 28 SIM cards, 18 debit cards, cheque books, passbooks, electronic accessories and Rs 2 lakh in cash. The total value of the seized items is estimated at Rs 8 lakh, the SP said.

Based on the information gathered during the operation, a second raid was carried out at a villa in the Gerra River of Joy complex in Kadamba Plateau, Old Goa, where two more accused were arrested, Gupta said.

In the second raid, police seized 47 mobile phones, four laptops, a tablet, 49 SIM cards, a television set and bank passbooks, with the total value of seized items pegged at Rs 20 lakh.

The accused were operating a betting racket through online platforms "Reddi888" and "Fairplay", managing financial transactions including pay-ins and payouts for bets placed on ongoing Indian Premier League cricket matches, the police official said.

Separate cases were registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Information Technology Act and the Gambling Act and all the accused are in police custody, the SP said, adding that the probe was underway.

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