Police steps up vigil on betting as IPL season begins tomorrow

‘Bookies keep low profile to evade arrest’

A file picture of modern equipment seized from betting gangs in Visakhapatnam.

The city police have stepped up vigil on the betting activities as the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to begin in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, after nearly six months delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A senior police officer said many bookies were arrested from the city for betting on IPL matches in the last four years and close to ₹20 lakh was seized from them. The police also seized equipment including integrated call receiving systems, line mobile phones, and others during raids.

“Betting activities are not limited to the city now as the bookies are operating from rural areas of the district. A few years ago, the money put on betting used to be between ₹10,000 and ₹20,000 at the local level as the punters would divert huge transactions to major cities such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai. It is learnt that even transactions of above ₹50,000 are being handled from Vizag,” said the police officer.

Modus operandi

A majority of the betting rackets busted in the city were being run out of apartments. Police records suggest that many gangs from other districts such as East Godavari, West Godavari, Prakasam and other States arrived in the city and took apartments on rent to run the illegal activities.

During the IPL season last year, the city police arrested six persons on charges of organising betting in Gopalapatnam area.

“The betting organisers use integrated connectivity boxes equipped with 60 multi-connectivity options (MCBs) with cellphones. The organisers would announce the betting features. They would use laptops with high-speed internet connections or TV sets to check live updates of the matches,” explains another police officer.

The city also witnessed dynamic betting. The bookies organised betting while moving from one place to another, as part of tactics to mislead the police and evade raids. The organisers would hire a car and move in the city outskirts such as Parawada, Padmanabham and Bheemili.

The city police also found betting being organised individual houses in interior villages. The organisers would select thatched houses, cashew orchards to run their operations.

“We are maintaining a strict vigil on betting activities as every time the organisers come up with innovative ways to hoodwink the police. We are using technology to trace the betting organisers,” said a senior police officer.

He said mobile apps are being used to organise betting. “We have seen college goers fall into the trap of betting organisers. Parents should keep a watch on their children,” he added.