HYDERABAD: The ugly game of betting has spread its tentacles to league and county matches held abroad. After maligning the reputation of the so-called ‘gentleman’s game’, bringing many players in T20 and one day international cricket matches under the shadow of doubt, the betting racket is now knocking at the doors of county cricket matches held in England.
Police, who raided a betting den on Sunday were in for a rude shock when they found the organisers inviting gamblers to bet on NatWest T20 Blast matches being played in England between Lancashire and Hampshire teams, not much familiar to Indian audience.
On information about the betting activity, Task Force sleuths raided the residence of a mobile shop owner Ashwin Bung (28) of Begum Bazar on Sunday. Police found that Ashwin was organising online cricket betting by accepting amount from punters. Police seized two laptops, three mobile phones and Rs 3.5 lakh in cash.
Ashwin Bung has been running Sadesh Communications at Begum Bazar since seven years. But his earnings were not sufficient to meet his family expenses. Worried over his financial problems, Ashwin hatched a plan to make easy money by accepting cricket betting amount in an organised manner directly and indirectly over mobile phones from the known and unknown punters in Hyderabad.
To carry out his illegal betting, he contacted punters over their mobile phone and started running cricket betting in an organised manner from his residence at Begum Bazar.
He accepted betting amount directly and indirectly over mobile phone from punters by watching the ongoing NatWest T20 blast cricket match online. He promised the punters that the amount will be distributed after completion of the match. The accused was handed over to the Afzalgunj police for further action.