Hyderabad: Hyderabad Police busted an inter-state organised cricket betting racket with the arrest of 13 persons from different places in Hyderabad.

On a tip off, police conducted simultaneous raids at three places in Hyderabad on Tuesday while a test match between South Africa and Bangladesh was going on and found that the accused were involved in betting racket spread over Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan, Hyderabad Police Commissioner M Mahender Reddy stated.

"Police seized Rs 26 lakh in cash and several betting communication equipments", he said.

This is an organised cricket betting racket where in one Satya Prakash Jindal alias Nikku organises betting business in four states along with his associates.

"He has several sub-bookies to whom he shares the betting line over cell phones and accepts betting", the Hyderabad Police chief said. "Nikku is the main bookie in Hyderabad city, accepting cricketing betting over cell phones from sub-bookies and punters in an organised manner, and also provides line phone connections to share updated betting rates to other bookies in Hyderabad and other states like Rajasthan and Haryana on commission basis", he said.

Nikku used to receive updated betting rates from one Ashu, the main bookie and resident of Rajasthan, through line phones, for which he procured four line boxes having 35 mobile phones, laptops and other equipment.

Nikku recruited seven persons from Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab on monthly salary basis to receive phone calls and betting rates info from punters and to upload it in laptops and to assist them during the matches, Reddy explained.

The betting sessions are organised for every 10 overs, he said, adding, the accused were involved in betting for the past six months. With the arrest of this gang we will be able to nab other gangs including Ashu, who is absonding, Reddy said. Along with Nikku, sub-bookies and employees were arrested.

Source:PTI