VIJAYAWADA: Mangalagiri rural police busted an online cricket betting network operating under the name ‘Book.com’ after a surprise midnight raid on Wednesday.
Acting on a tip off, police teams raided an apartment located behind NRI Hospital in Mangalagiri town and arrested one person, while another accused fled the spot.
Police seized five laptops, 32 mobile phones, 15 ATM cards and 14 bank passbooks, all believed to have been used for the illegal betting operations. Mangalagiri Rural SI Ch Venkat said, “The key accused and other punters behind the betting racket are from Machilipatnam. Special teams formed to nab the absconding.”
Speaking to TNIE, the SI said he developed their own app and accepted cricket bets through a WhatsApp group and the Book.com website. “Further probe is on. We sent all the devices seized from the scene to forensic science laboratory for examination,” the SI added.