Online cricket betting gang busted in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The Cyberabad Special Operations Team busted an online cricket betting racket being organized on the current Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 cricket matches and arrested five persons at Nizampet, Bachupally late on Monday. Police seized cash of Rs 20 lakh and other material all worth Rs 23.80 lakh from them.

The arrested persons were identified as G.Satya Pavan Kumar (32), U.Raju Satheesh Raju (40), and J.Prasad (25), from West Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, along with Ch.Trinath (28), and N.Bhaskar (30), from Krishna district of AP. The main organizer Somanna from East Godavari of AP is absconding.

According to the police, Somanna was organizing the online cricket betting in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and the other suspects took the mainline access from him to operate the communicator board, laptop which is connected through



main line and also they have access to numerous bookies in Hyderabad through online for commission.

“The profit and loss of the punters can be seen from time to time in the online betting apps which are provided by the agents. The illegal cash payment transactions of the cricket betting are online, but in some cases it is through net cash,” said V.C.Sajjanar, Police Commissioner, Cyberabad adding that the money transaction also happens through hawala cash.

Officials observed that many youth were indulging in online cricket betting and lost huge amounts through online cricket betting. “The police have been keeping strict surveillance and informants are being tapped to trace out the activity of bookies and individuals indulging in this illegal activity of cricket betting,” Sajjanar said.