Hyderabad: Crackdown on cricket betting intensifies

Hyderabad: Amidst the IPL fever, Hyderabad police is working in a well-coordinated manner to bust cricket betting rackets. which have stepped up their activities online as cops have made it nearly impossible to organise their trade in hard cash.

Betting has turned online, and illegal rackets are trying to cash in on the trend and craze for the game. The task force which has intensified their intense efforts has already nabbed 36 people within the 11 days of this IPL season. The city police busted 24 cricket betting rackets in last 11 days and has arrested 36 people for allegedly organising cricket betting. It seized around Rs 12 lakh from them.

Acting on a tip-off, the team was successful in cracking more cases in less time when compared to previous years. In 2018, 52 cases were filed and 107 people were arrested and over Rs 1.5 crore was seized. In 2019, 73 cases were filed on 126 persons and around Rs 39 lakh was seized.

Explaining the intensive drive against cricket betting rackets to The Hans India, Radha Krishna, DCP, Task Force, said, "We decided to foil efforts of cricket betting troops at the beginning of the season itself. Also, as we have had no other civil cases to focus much on during this pandemic situation, we are channelling all our planning and energies to put an end to this illegal activity."

"Every year we begin our sketching as the season begins, but this time we were fully geared up even before the IPL kickstarted and were successful in cracking at least two to four cases each day," the DCP said and noted that "as the betting has gone online, , it has become a little bit difficult to trace the betters. Add to this, many mobile apps have been created for betting and almost 10 cases are being filed against such apps."

Previously, betting used to be operated on computer systems and the police could trace them through IP addresses. They also used to zero in on modus operandi of transporting hard cash in vehicles. "But, now, payments are being done online and mobile phones are being used for betting. This makes it difficult to trace the bookies. Hence our special efforts to track and act against such gangs," Radha Krishna added.