Against the backdrop of IPL's spot-fixing scandal and the arrest of three Rajasthan Royals players by the Special Cell of Delhi Police, law enforcement agencies in various states are jostling to hog the limelight by rounding up bookies and announcing the catch – big or small – through live press conferences.
After Delhi and Mumbai Police's surprising coups, agencies in states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat started a crackdown on popular betting holes. More than two dozen bookies and their associates have been arrested across the country since May 16.
On Monday, Goa Police picked up six bookies. They said those arrested were running the betting racket from a rented accommodation in the Candolim area for the last 45 days and could be involved with the betting racket exposed by Delhi Police.
Similarly Ahmedabad Police busted a racket in the city by arresting bookies Anil Kumar, Uttam Chand and Harshad Ramesh. It is not clear if they were involved in spot-fixing, but were operating out of a temple in the Sabarmati area to avoid any suspicion, Police sources said. A television set, cash worth `16,780, a laptop, and seven mobile phones were seized from the bookies. The police on Saturday had arrested bookie Vinod Mulchandani, with cash and gold, from a satellite area of the town.
Another betting syndicate was busted late Sunday night in Kanpur and eight bookies were arrested by UP Police with Rs 8.83 lakh in cash, 2 laptops and 19 mobile phones in the Fazalganj area. They claimed that the arrested bookies were part of a larger international network of match-fixing.