IPL betting racket busted in Hyderabad, 10 held

Ten persons from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were apprehended for allegedly indulging in online cricket betting during the ongoing IPL 2023 cricket matches, Cyberabad Police said on Tuesday. Upon getting credible information, police teams raided a house in Bachupally in the city on Monday evening and apprehended 10 bookies of organised online cricket betting rackets, Cyberabad Police Commissioner M Stephen Raveendra told reporters in Hyderabad. Police seized Rs 66 lakh in cash along with line boards, cell phones, laptops, TVs, CPUs among other things coming to a total of nearly Rs 1 crore from the possession of the accused. The main organiser Pandu, a resident of Vijayawada, is absconding and efforts are on to catch hold of him, police said.

Police said due to digitalisation and lure to make quick bucks, some people have been lured to cricket betting. This is a vicious cycle which leads to constant addiction to betting money. Ultimately the bookie only makes money while punters lose money. There is scope for Cyber theft of data from bank accounts and other personal data, which may result in unauthorized money transfer and blackmailing using personal photos, data etc, it said.