HYDERABAD: Task Force sleuths arrested six people for indulging in cricket betting by accepting money from punters. Police seized a TV set, set-up box, a hotline communication box, mobile phones and Rs 20,000 in cash from them.
Acting on a tip-off, police raided an apartment in Bahadurpura police limits where the accused were accepting cricket betting amount from punters directly and indirectly over mobile phones on the ongoing match between Brisbane Heat Vs Sydney Thunder teams playing in Australia.
The arrested were identified as Mukesh Sharma, organiser of the racket; along with his gang members Md Azar, Prashanth Sharma, Asifulla Khan, Hemanth Mishra and Mahesh Taneji Rao.
Deputy commissioner of police (Task Force) B Limba Reddy said Mukesh Sharma started cricket betting four years ago and was arrested by the Charminar police earlier. Later, he came in contact with Vijay of Basheerbagh and Neeraj of Gulzar House area, who were also organising cricket betting. Similarly, they came in contact with another betting organiser, Md Azar. One Manoj of Nagpur provided them three hotline boxes and other incriminating material to them for organising cricket betting. In May 2015, Mukesh rented a two bedroom flat in Bahadurpura and started betting along with his son Prashanth and Md.Azar.
The accused employed Hemanth for operating a laptop to enter betting money and Mahesh for collecting the betting money.