Cocking its ears the Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has increased its monitoring after IPl spot-fixing scandal came to light on May 16. Intensifying its monitoring operation, STF put many suspected mobile numbers on its radar to find out whether spot-fixing has any links with the city.
Well placed sources in the STF said that around a dozen of mobile numbers were put on surveillance. A cop, expert in intercepting phone calls, has been put on duty to trace the calls being made from the numbers and collect the details.
The source said, the inputs, collected by STF, indicated that some Delhi and Chandigarh-based bookies had their betting racket in the city and it operated with the help of agents who are called small fishes. The agents were supposed to act upon the instructions passed by the chiefs, sitting in Delhi and Mumbai.
A source in the STF disclosed that from the agents, commonly known as small fishes in the betting rackets, remain in touch with the middlemen of the betting syndicate. They get instructions ball by ball from the syndicate chiefs and act accordingly. They have no right to decide rates.
The STF started monitoring soon after the IPl began. But it amplified magnitude of monitoring after the spot-fixing in IPl was exposed. The STF is trying to find out whether the spot-fixing has any connection to the city by putting several mobile numbers on surveillance.
An STF source disclosed that the numbers recovered from the members of the betting gangs arrested by Dehradun Police in April as they were allegedly involved in running the betting racket, were also put on the surveillance. Though the STF has not got any major leads in this connection, its operation is on.
If sources are to be believed, the STF is in regular touch with its Chandigarh and Delhi counterparts. It also often seeks suggestions and guidance from its Delhi counterparts in order to ensure effective monitoring. STF has also shared some inputs with its Delhi counterparts.
STF SSP Senthil Akdai Krishanraj S accepts that monitoring has been strengthened further after the spot-fixing scam came to light. “We have further strengthened monitoring which will continue.” He, however, denied making comments on other steps being taken by the STF.
It may be mentioned here that the district police busted two betting gangs in the month of April and recovered several mobile sets from their possession. During interrogation, four members of the two gangs confessed that they used to take bets on instructions from the Delhi and Chandigarh-based gang bosses.