Chhattisgarh police have made significant strides in dismantling an IPL betting racket. The state police on Saturday arrested 26 individuals from Maharashtra's Pune in connection with a racket involved in betting on IPL matches through online applications, including the Mahadev app. The crackdown was orchestrated by the anti-crime and cyber unit (ACCU), who apprehended the suspects from two apartments in Pune.
It is pertinent to note that, the breakthrough in the case came after eight individuals involved in online betting on IPL matches were apprehended in Goa. Subsequent interrogations uncovered the involvement of associates operating through the Mahadev app panel in Pune. A team of the ACCU Raipur, which was already in Maharashtra as a part of a probe in another case, conducted a recce of the two apartments in the Bharti Vidyapeeth area of Pune for a week before conducting the raild. Speaking about the operation, Raipur senior superintendent of police Santosh Singh said, the team had initially posed as a vegetable vendor, milk and paper delivery boys for seven days before conducting the raid.
Meanwhile, of the 26 individuals detained in Pune, 22 are residents of various districts in Chhattisgarh, while three hail from Madhya Pradesh and one from Uttar Pradesh. The police had also seized a substantial cache of evidence, including 11 laptops, 98 mobile phones, and other items valued at Rs 25 lakh during the raid. Further investigations revealed transactions amounting to Rs 30 crore and identified approximately 1,000 individuals engaged in illicit betting activities.
During interrogations, the accused also divulged their association with Pappu Jethwani, a history-sheeter from Raipur, who is presently evading arrest. In addition to charges under the Gambling Act and the Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, the police have invoked sections 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, alongside provisions of the Indian Telegraph Act and IT Act.
Further, the crackdown comes on the heels of heightened scrutiny on the Mahadev betting app, which has previously attracted legal scrutiny. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated a money laundering probe into the app, resulting in chargesheets being filed against its promoters, Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal. The investigation has uncovered alleged proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 6,000 crore.
(With inputs from PTI)
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