Hyderabad: After deploying foolproof security for the upcoming T20 IPL matches in the city, keeping a tab on ingenious methods of cricket betting is becoming a challenge to the police. Cops in three commissionerates have geared up to identify the activity and nab cricket betting gangs.
Wily betting organisers have moved out of the city and are operating rackets through agents and punters. The money in betting for IPL Season XI is expected to run into tens of crores in the city. This time, cops will seek the assistance of Cybercrime wings to monitor betting activities on online platforms.
In addition to the police teams, the City Task Force and Special Operations Teams in Cyberabad and Rachakonda are keeping track on betting gangs and conducting raids at different locations.
On the eve of the IPL fixture in Hyderabad, police have identified persons who were caught betting on cricket earlier. Cops had cracked the whip last year too, but all they could do was nab agents and punters while the kingpins slipped away on many occasions.
Bookies, on their part, have shifted base to other metros like Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi in view of the strict vigil on them this time round. Their men organise bets from outside while the agents and punters receive bet money from people here. "We are keeping track on the movement of gangs operating from Hyderabad and the neighbouring towns and tracing their agents here in the city. We may miss the kingpins but if the agents are caught, the network will collapse," a senior police official said.
However, cops are also wary of the betting going on on social media. "With heightened vigil on websites and other online platforms, organisers are likely to operate through WhatsApp groups which are difficult to track. Cybercrime wings will assist us in this," another official said.
Racket bust, nine nabbed
A day before Hyderabad to host the IPL matches, Rachakonda Special Operations team bust a cricket betting racket and nabbed nine persons involved in the gang.
