Bookies to be caught on tape

Mumbai, May 14: With the World Cup under way in England, Mumbai police have stepped up their drive against bookies involved in illegal be...

Mumbai, May 14: With the World Cup under way in England, Mumbai police have stepped up their drive against bookies involved in illegal betting on the outcome of cricket matches.

Sources in the Social Service Branch (SSB) of Mumbai police said plans are being chalked out to record panchnama’ on video cameras as evidence to prosecute bookies. Efforts are on to locate new hideouts of bookies, as police suspect most of them could be operating from new places to avoid arrest, sources added.

Surveillance of suspected telephone numbers has also been intensified, and assistant sought from Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) to find bookies, assistant police inspector V Deolakar of the SSB informed.

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According to sources, there are an estimated 15 big-time bookies and nearly 100 medium-sized ones operating from Mumbai. More than 500 agents also work from here, they added.

A police officer, requesting anonymity, said the money involved in betting during the current cricket season could well be over Rs 500crore. Most of the transactions will be conducted over the telephone, the officer added.

However, while police believe most of the betting will be co-ordinated from centres in Indore in Madhya Pradesh and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, sources in the intelligence agencies suspect the main bookies have shifted their base from the city to Calcutta in West Bengal and Noida in south Delhi.

The reason for shifting base may be the fear that the large-scale transactions involved would attract the attention of the underworld, which may corner a lion’s share of the income, sources felt. Moreover, since the dealing is in black,’ police help can’t be sought either, sources added.

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Bollywood could also be involved in the betting on the World Cup, sources said.