Cricket betting racket busted; 10 arrested

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested ten individuals in a cricket batting racket involved in illegal betting on the Big Bash League (BBL) T-20 cricket matches in Australia.

An anonymous source tipped the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police about the criminals.

According to the police, the raid, conducted on December 21 at a flat on Joshi Road, Karol Bagh, uncovered extensive evidence, including laptops, mobile phones, and other paraphernalia used for betting.

The accused, aged between 32 and 48 years, hail from different states and operated a syndicate to profit from illegal betting. Among them is the alleged mastermind, Raju Vaishnav, a 48-year-old goldsmith from Karol Bagh.

Other key members include Ajay Kumar, a former cloth shop owner, and Jagrit Saihni, a software expert responsible for creating IDs for bettors.

The raid, led by Inspector Kamal and supervised by Ramesh Chander Lamba, followed intelligence about organized betting activities centered around live BBL matches.

The syndicate used both online and offline methods, including a master ID purchased on a betting website, JMD Sports.com, and manual note-taking for offline bets.

Daily transactions reportedly reached Rs 1.5 lakh, with profits averaging Rs 30,000 to 40,000 per day.

Seized items include five laptops, 24 mobile phones, an LED TV, and betting-related notepads. The flat, rented by Raju for Rs 45,000 per month, served as the syndicate’s base for over a year.