The Social Security Cell of Pune city police arrested six bookies from three different states, for allegedly betting on IPL cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants.
The raid was conducted on a ninth floor flat located in Galaxy One Society, Kharadi. The bookies hailed from Chattisgarh, Punjab, and Bihar, said police officials.
The raid, led by senior police inspector Bharat Jadhav, assistant police inspector Aniket Pote, and their team, resulted in the seizure of various items and cash amounting to ₹5 lakh. The confiscated assets include 16 mobile phones, two laptops, and other betting-related paraphernalia.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Gaurav Dayaram Dharamwani (27) from Block Shivanandnagar, Khamatrai, Raipur, Chhattisgarh; Sunish Tulshidas Lakhwani (25) from Mahavir School, Near Machhi Lake, Gudiyari, Raipur, Chhattisgarh; Japjit Singh Atamjit Singh Bagga (25) from Sindhi Guruvdara, opposite Pandhari Ata Chakki, Raipur, Chhattisgarh; Jasprit Manjinder Singh (29) from Road No. 10, Shivajinagar, Ludhiana, Punjab; Tarandeep Baljinder Singh Singh (33) residing at Shastri Skulwadi Galli, Shivajinagar, Ludhiana, Pambaj; and Lalkishore Dukhi Ram (37) from Behrauna, Darbhanga, Bihar. Additionally, the Chandannagar police have booked a bookie named DK.
Acting on a tip-off received by the Social Security Cell, Pune police crime branch initiated the operation after learning about a large-scale cricket betting syndicate operating from a flat within a society in Kharadi. The information was verified by the police team. Subsequently, the raid was conducted on Flat No. A-902 on the ninth floor of Galaxy One Society in Kharadi, where the accused individuals were caught accepting bets.
Further investigation revealed that the accused had fraudulently obtained a SIM card using the identity of Bindia Yadav, Japjit Singh’s daughter, to facilitate their activities.
According to police officials, the accused were placing bets on the live cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants through various online platforms.
The accused have been charged under sections 420 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), sections 4(a) and 5 of the Maharashtra Gambling Prevention Act, and section 25(c) of the Indian Telegraph Act.
