Hyderabad: The south zone task force busted two cricket betting rackets and arrested two organisers, one of them a student, after a raid on two places in the city. The cops recovered around Rs 7 lakh from the suspects. They had been collecting bets from students, traders and others for IPL matches. They were operating from houses and ran the show using the Telegram and ‘Bet 365’ apps.
Police said that Nitesh Singh Thakur, 23, a degree final year student, was running the racket since two years from his place in Begumpet. “Nitesh and his cousin Hari Vishal ran the racket. Vishal goes out to collect money. He is now absconding,” said inspector K. Madhu Mohan Reddy.
Police said that Manoj Kumar organised betting with the help of an agent named Mohith at Shahinayathgunj. “Manoj Kumar was earlier involved in similar cases and was booked by the Shahinayathgunj police. He was also involved in an Arms Act case investigated by Habeebnagar police,” said task force additional DCP N. Koti Reddy.
“They were accepting bets for all test matches, one day matches, Champions Trophy and IPL matches since two years. They use the Telegram app and Bet 365 app to get match updates and betting rates ball by ball. The suspects intimate the same to punters through mobile phones and collect money from them either directly or through agents,” the official added.
