The arrests were made on Thursday, and the accused have been identified as Ravi Kumar, Amit Kumar, and Shahid Khan.
Upon investigation, law enforcement seized several items, including two laptops with betting assistance software, seven mobile phones, one LED TV, three internet routers, one printer, one bill counter, one calculator, 12 packs of playing cards, and writing materials.
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The arrested individuals have revealed during questioning that they used the betting assistance software to manage records and accounts for “punters” (gamblers). One person would be present at the stadium with a phone to provide the actual, real-time score, as there is a broadcast delay. They would exploit this delay for betting purposes and share the information with their punters, according to a police officer.
The betting rates would fluctuate based on real-time information from the stadium, such as wickets, scores, or runs, rather than what was shown on TV. Police noted that for each match, the betting amounts ranged from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7 lakh. Over the last nine matches of the 2023 Cricket World Cup, approximately Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore were wagered. The accused individuals have been involved in betting since the beginning of the 2023 Cricket World Cup season, as per the officer.
The betting software was reportedly purchased from a shop in Nehru Place for Rs 25,000.
(With agency inputs)
