Online cricket betting racket busted, 3 held

Warangal: Task Force personnel on Wednesday arrested three people reportedly involved in the online cricket betting here and seized Rs 20.80 lakh in cash, four mobile phones and a car. Addressing the media, Police Commissioner Tarun Joshi said that the nabbed were identified as Madishetti Prasad, Kothuru Raju, and Burra Nagaraju. He informed that Madishetti Prasad, the gang leader turned his house at Venkateshwara colony in Hanamkonda into a place of betting along with another bookie Kothuru Raju. The duo used to lure youth in surrounding localities of huge profits. The bookies gave message on the international cricket matches to the punters on phones and encouraged them to bet.

If the punters won, double the bet money would be paid and the bookies got a commission ranging from 5 to 25 per cent. Three cases were registered in the commissionerate areas against Madishetti Prasad in the past. Task Force teams led by Additional DCP Vaibhav R Gaikwad raided a place in Mamnoor following a tip-off about and effected the arrests. The arrested persons were handed over to the KU police station for prosecution.