IPL cricket betting racket: 5 arrested from apartment in Pimple Saudagar, 30 cell phones seized

Pimpri Chinchwad police have arrested five persons for allegedly running a cricket betting racket from an apartment in Pimple Saudagar and seized 30 mobile phones, three laptops and a counting machine. The accused were taking bets during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season, police said.

Assistant police inspector A S Deshmukh of Sangvi police station said, “Accused persons were found taking bets online on the IPL cricket betting match on Saturday, using cell phones. We suspect they were operating the illegal betting racket from the raided apartment for some days. We have seized their dairies in which they maintained financial details and calculations of betting. Further probe is on.”

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Acting on a tip-off, a police team raided an apartment in The Crest Society in Malpani Estate, Pimple Saudagar around 9.30 pm on May 21. Police caught the accused taking bets on the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals.

Police have identified the five accused as Vinod alias Balu Agarwal (44), Sunny Manglani (32), Hitesh Lohana (32), Rohit alias Sonu Agarwal (21) and Shubham Jahagirdar (28).

Police said the accused had procured a sim card by submitting forged documents and then used it for illegal betting. They have been booked under sections 420, 465, 468, 471, 120 (b), 24, and sections of the Maharashtra Gambling Act and the Indian Telegraph Act.