Khammam: The police busted a cricket betting racket on Tuesday and seized 37 cellphones, four laptops, nine register books, three ATM cards, nine bank cheques and Rs 20,000. The Khammam police achieved a breakthrough by nabbing the two key persons involved in the racket along with 27 others. A special operation team was deployed to nab the persons involved in the betting and Madhira police extended assistance to the team.
Police said the persons had chosen a medical shop, the Sri Sainaga Venkata Ramana Medical and General Stores, owned by one Karnati Sudhakara Reddy at Venkatapuram in Errupalem mandal as their base. Bet-Fire, Bet-365, Bet-Accular, Crickline, Bet-333 and Bet Predictor were their mobile cricket betting applications. The cricket betting was being organised using these mobile applications.
Sudhakara Reddy lured the youth and invited them to his shop for placing bets. Information about this reached villages and youths were getting involved in the betting. The others persons arrested along with Sudhakara Reddy are Thallapureddy Satya-narayana Reddy, Thallapureddy Srinivasa Reddy, Azmeera Ravindra and Thallapureddy Venkatrama Reddy. The cops nabbed them while betting.
They were arrested at the medical shop in Venkatapuram along with Sudhakara Reddy on May 17. Four cell phones and Rs 1,500 were recovered from them. But, the cops kept the arrest secret to nab the other 25 persons involved in the betting. As per information given by the arrested one, the cops took the 25 into custody on Tuesday. The others arrested are Gurram Venkateswarlu, Shaik John Basha, Banavat Venkatesh, Mullangi Jamalaiah, Janga Nagireddy, Busipalli Gopal Reddy, Banavat Vijay, Yerrugunta Krishna, Nujedla Naresh, Pandla Naresh, Chanumolu Kiran Kumar, C. Rajarameswara Reddy, A. Pulla, M. Nagaraju, G. Venkateswarlu, D. Naveen, Y. Ravi Babu, R. Laxmana, and C. Veera Vinay Kumar.
P. Sudheer, S. Sri Harsha, V. Ramakrishna and C. Subramanyam.
A case was registered against them at the Errupalem police station. The police identified two other key persons, Ramana Reddy in Ongole and Ramesh of Bhimavaram.
