IPL betting racket busted in Himayatnagar, 3 arrested

Hyderabad: Three individuals, including two bookies, were apprehended by Task Force sleuths for their alleged involvement in online cricket betting in Himayatnagar . Police stated that the accused had been organising betting via mobile applications.

The suspects were identified as bookie Sriraj Boob, sub-bookie Hondmane Sainath, and collection agent Regalla Gopinath. A total of 1.2 lakh in cash and three mobile phones were seized from them.

Sriraj Boob, a resident of Himayathnagar, is allegedly a habitual organiser of cricket betting. "To earn easy money, he became involved in the illegal business of organising cricket betting. He accepted betting amounts from both known and unknown punters. To assist with the operation, he recruited two associates – Hondmane Sainath and Regalla Gopinath – offering them a 5% commission," Task Force police stated. Boob reportedly ran the operation from Pawani Lingaiah apartments.

During the ongoing IPL matches, Boob facilitated bets by providing punters with access to specific apps, issuing them user IDs and passwords. Bets were then placed through these platforms on various aspects of the matches. While the Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings match was in progress, police received a tip-off about the illegal activity, raided the apartment, and apprehended the trio.

"Previously, the accused Sriraj Boob and Hondmane Sainath had been arrested in connection with cricket betting cases," police said. Sainath, who works in the travel industry, and Gopinath, a collection agent, are both residents of Chikkadpally.