'Phone exchange' used for cricket betting unearthed

A full-fledged “phone exchange” being used by cricket betting syndicates has been unearthed and three persons arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch. While two betting rackets have also been smashed, the police claim to have seized 118 mobile phones, 70 chargers and 100 earphone leads from the accused.

Pursuing the leads into the gangs running betting syndicates, the Crime Branch sleuths learnt that two such groups were accepting bets on the IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians on Wednesday. Acting on a tip-off that a person had set up a well-organised “phone exchange” at Karampura for providing updates on the betting rates to the bookies operating in and around the Capital, Sub-Inspector Anuj Nautiyal and other officers raided the place.

113 mobile phones

Accused Amit, a resident of Sonia Vihar, was accepting the bets from punters when he was arrested. The police purportedly seized 113 mobile phones, chargers, earphones, extension boards and other articles from the house. During interrogation, the accused disclosed that he was running the racket in conspiracy with the house owner named Kamal, who is absconding. The accused charged Rs.3,000 to Rs.3,500 for providing dedicated phone line facility to the bookies.

The police are trying to ascertain how the accused had managed to get so many phone connections and the identity of all those who were receiving updates on betting rates through them.

In another case, the police received information about a similar set-up at Sant Nagar in Burari. Subsequently raids led to the arrest of Shyam Arora and Deepak. The accused had accepted bets to the tune of Rs.30 lakh.