Panaji: The Crime Branch of Goa Police busted an illegal IPL cricket betting racket operating from two villas in Ribandar, arresting 10 persons and seizing materials worth Rs 28 lakh, an official said on Friday.
Superintendent of Police (Crime) Rahul Gupta said the raids were conducted at two locations in Ribandar following specific intelligence inputs about organised online betting activities linked to ongoing IPL matches.
In the first raid, conducted past midnight on April 16 at Karekar Residency, police apprehended eight accused allegedly involved in running an online betting operation. The arrested individuals hail from states including Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
During the search, police seized 48 mobile phones, four laptops, 28 SIM cards, 18 debit cards, cheque books, passbooks, electronic accessories and cash amounting to Rs 2 lakh. The total value of the seized material in this raid is estimated at Rs 8 lakh.
Based on further intelligence gathered during the operation, a second raid was carried out at a villa in the Gerra River of Joy complex at Kadamba Plateau, Old Goa, where two more accused were arrested.
In the second raid, police seized 47 mobile phones, four laptops, a tablet, 49 SIM cards, a television set and bank passbooks, with the total value of seized items pegged at Rs 20 lakh.
Police said the accused were operating betting activities through online platforms “Reddi888” and “Fairplay”, managing financial transactions including pay-ins and payouts for bets placed on cricket matches.
Separate cases have been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Information Technology Act and the Gambling Act. All the accused are currently in police custody, and further investigation is underway, the official added.
