Cops bust cricket betting racket at city hotel, prime accused held

Kolkata: The Anti-Rowdy Squad (ARS) of Detective Department, Kolkata Police, has busted a cricket betting racket from a five star hotel near Science City crossing on Wednesday night and arrested the prime accused.

According to sources, On Wednesday afternoon, police officers were tipped-off that a cricket betting racket was operating at a five star hotel located on Eastern Metropolitan (EM) Bypass.

After gathering further information, cops zeroed-in on a hotel near Science City crossing. At night, an ARS team conducted a raid at the said hotel and found that the prime accused, identified as Sunil Mundra of Bangur in Lake Town, was running the racket.

He had hired a suite at the hotel to conduct betting for the ongoing T-20 Big Bash League in Australia. At the time of raid, Mundra was the only person found there. Police suspect that somehow the other accused persons suspected a police crackdown and fled the spot before the cops arrived.

During a subsequent search of the suite, the ARS team found 10 mobile phones, a laptop, a register and a significant amount of money in cash.

Mundra is being interrogated to find out who else are connected with the betting racket. He has been booked under sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and

120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the IPC,

along with sections of the West Bengal Gambling and Prize Competition Act. Search is on to nab others connected to the racket.