Pune Police Busts International Online Betting Gang During IPL Matches in Kothrud

Pune: In a recent crackdown, the Anti-Extortion Squad of Pune Police’s Crime Branch apprehended 10 individuals belonging to an international betting group involved in online betting on ongoing IPL matches. The operation, conducted on Saturday evening at 9:30 p.m. in the Ujvi Bhusari Colony area of Kothrud, led to the seizure of goods worth Rs 2,20,500.

The arrested individuals, hailing from Chhattisgarh, include Mukesh Kumar Shailendra Prasad Sahu (24), Devendra Kamlesh Kumar Yadav (21), Rahul Kumar Ganesh Yadav, Rohit Kumar Ganesh Yadav (26), Dushyant Komalsinh Sonkar (23), Sandeep Raju Meshram (21), Akhilesh Ruparam Thakur (24), Mohammad Mamanun Ismail Saudagar (32), and Amit Kailas Shendge (32). They have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Prohibition of Gambling Act, and Indian Telegraph Act.

According to Assistant Police Inspector Pravin Vasant Dhamal, a complaint was lodged at Kothrud Police Station, prompting Anti-Extortion Squad One to initiate patrolling within the Kothrud police station limits. Acting on received intelligence, the team raided flat number S/5 on the first floor of Patel Terrace in Ujvi Bhusari Colony, where online betting activities were reportedly taking place.

During the raid, the accused were found engaging in online cricket betting and other forms of gambling via mobile phones and laptops. They were caught red-handedly exploiting individuals through deceitful means for their own financial gain. The police confiscated valuables amounting to Rs 2,20,500 from the accused, including mobile phones and laptops used in the illicit operations.

Assistant Police Inspector Abhijit Patil has taken charge of further investigations into the matter.