Delhi Police has arrested 10 people for operating an illegal betting syndicate on the ongoing Big Bash T20 League in Australia and seized five laptops, 14 mobile phones, notepad and T.V. from their possession.
According to the police on Sunday, the syndicate was operating from an apartment in Karol Bagh. The accused were identified as 48 year old Raju Vaishnav, 32 year old Jagrat Saihni, 44 year old Parves Kumar, all residents of Delhi, along with 36 years old Yogesh Taneja, 34 years old Tarun Khanna, 38 year old Harvinder Deol from Agra in Uttar Pradesh and 34 year old Manish Jain, 32 years old Kushal and 43 years old Gautam Das, all natives of Rajasthan, a senior police officer added.
The police also recovered 10 mobile phones from their possession. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sanjay Kumar Sain said they received information about the syndicate led by Raju and his associates operating from Joshi Road in Karol Bagh. “Based on a tip-off, a raid was conducted around 11.30 am on Saturday at a flat on Joshi Road,” he said.
The flat had three bedrooms and 10 people, including Raju, and they were found placing bets on laptops and mobile phones during a live match, he added.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the group was betting on the seventh T20 match of the Big Bash League 2024-25 between Hobart Hurricanes and Perth Scorchers, which started at 10.30 am, police said.
During interrogation they revealed that the syndicate operated both online and offline. For online betting, Jagrat had purchased a master ID from a betting website, the officer said, adding that for each transaction, master ID and this racket user are sharing 5 per cent and 95 per cent profit and loss.
The DCP said that the group accepted offline bets by recording them on notepads. “Raju is the mastermind behind the group who convinced other bookies from three different states to join hands to increase profit and reduce losses,” he said, adding that he has studied up to eighth standard and is working as a goldsmith.
“To earn easy money, he came into this illegal trade and brought all other associates under one platform. He was taking 20 per cent share and the rest of the share divided into all as per their performance and business,” the officer said, adding that the flat was rented by Raju in his name for Rs 45,000 per month.
