VIJAYAWADA: Vijayawada police busted hi-tech cricket betting racket on Sunday by arresting three persons. They also seized one multiple call receiver board, 25 mobile phones, one laptop, a television set and two headset speakers from their possession. The accused were identified as Atluri Sri Ranjith Kumar (33) of West Godavari district and Divi Srinath (39) and Peddu Naga Venkatesh (38) of Vijayawada.
Addressing the media, DCP Harshavardhan Raju said the trio have been running the online cricket betting in a closed playschool at Moghalrajpuram under Machavaram police station limits using mobile application ‘Avatar’. The prime accused Naveen is at large.
With the help of two others, they formed a gang and rented a play school, which was closed due to Covid-19 restrictions. “Acting on a tip-off, a police team raided the school and caught the accused red-handed while they were organising betting,” the DCP said.
During the interrogation, the accused have admitted that they procured the multiple call receiver board from a Delhi-based trader. “We are tracking down the network to trace the kingpin. A case has been registered under relevant sections of AP Gaming Act,” the DCP said.