Rourkela: Uncovering a major illegal betting racket linked to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, police arrested six persons and seized nearly Rs 30 lakh in cash during coordinated raids across Rourkela.
The crackdown, which continued since Wednesday, exposed the growing menace of cricket-related gambling operations in Odisha.
The arrested persons have been identified as Rohit Bhagat, Pankaj Kumar Bhagat, Sonu Rao, Mukesh Sahu, Jitendra Agrawal and Suresh Khemka. All six are residents of Rourkela.
DIG (North-Central Range) Brijesh Rai and Superintendent of Police (SP) Rourkela Nitesh Wadhwani jointly addressed a press conference on Thursday and gave information about the successful operation.
The raids were conducted at multiple locations after intelligence inputs suggested that organised betting was being run during ongoing World Cup matches, they said.
The accused were allegedly accepting bets from punters across different parts of the state, using mobile phones and online platforms to manage transactions. Police confirmed that Rs 30 lakh in cash was recovered from the accused, along with several mobile phones, laptops and other electronic devices used to facilitate the betting network.
The arrested individuals are currently being interrogated to trace the larger nexus and identify other members involved in the racket.
Preliminary investigation showed that the syndicate’s network extended beyond Odisha to areas such as Delhi, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. Police claim to have found strong evidence indicating that the group was involved in financial transactions amounting to nearly Rs 8 crore.
The arrests in Rourkela mark one of the biggest betting-related seizures in recent months, underscoring the police’s intensified efforts to curb gambling activities during high-profile sporting events.
