KANPUR/NEW DELHI: An IPL betting racket was busted in Kanpur with three bookies being arrested from a city hotel on late Wednesday night when a match between Gujarat Lions and Delhi Daredevils was scheduled at Green Park stadium. The three arrested were staying in the same hotel where both teams were put up.
In a late night surprise crack down, the police nabbed Mumbai-based mastermind Ramesh Shah along with two other bookies. As per police sources, Shah, a native of Gujarat, has his network in all major stadiums across the country from where he used to get information about the nature of pitches.
Ramesh was a labourer at the Green Park Stadium where the match was played. Police indicated that a person named Ramesh of Chunniganj area of Kanpur used to provide inputs about the condition of pitch to Shah on the basis of which he used to place bets.
Apart from Shah and Ramesh, the third person arrested in the racket is Vikas Chauhan of Pukhrayan from Kanpur Dehat.
All three were arrested from room no 1733, situated on the 17th floor of the hotel, after a tip-off by the anti-corruption unit of BCCI, said Akash Kulhari, SSP Kanpur.
He added that three mobile phones, Rs 40 lakh in cash and a diary were recovered from the possession of Shah while Rs 40,000 and two mobile phones were seized from Chauhan. Cops also recovered several registers, used for maintaining a records.
Sources said the Anti-Corruption Bureau of BCCI was monitoring movements of the bookies for the last three days.
An FIR was lodged against all three accused and authorities are also examining the CCTV footage of the hotel to check those who came to meet the bookies.
“After interrogation, it emerged the three accused had started betting on IPL matches from this season of the tournament,” said a senior police official.
A betting racket was busted in Kanpur back in 2013 just ahead of the final IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings when eight people were arrested. An amount of Rs eight lakh was recovered along with two laptops, 18 mobile phones and a car.