Income Tax department busts betting racket in Gurgaon

NEW DELHI: Working on a tip-off received after raiding 12 premises in Goa, Income Tax (IT) investigation wing has busted a betting racket operating from a residence in Gurgaon. The investigators have recovered mini telephone exchanges, 27 mobile phones, dish antennas from the premise situated in DLF phase-2. IT department is claiming that this is a new sector which has been searched for the first time.

“After initial examination of the accused, the information was passed on to the DGP, Haryana and subsequently the premises along with the betting gadgets and the accused handed over to the Gurgaon Police for further investigation,” an IT official said. According to the Gurgaon police, a case has been registered against the owner of the house by the police.

So far, the department has successfully collected evidences of unaccounted income of more than Rs 100 crores. IT is expecting that this multi-city cricket betting racket is active in other cities as well. “In raid, the officers have recovered two indigenous briefcases containing mini telephone exchanges with 27 Nokia mobile phones, smart phones, laptop, two big dish Antennas, modem, one high mast antenna and generator back up,” official said.

According to the sources, the investigation wing of the income tax (I-T) department conducted search operations at 12 places in Goa and arrested six accused last week. These accused were a part of casinos and betting racket active in almost five cities including national capital. “The Investigation Wing of the Income tax department in Goa carried out search operations against various operators in casinos involved in Hawala transactions and facilitating high value betting for players. Searches were mounted at various places including Goa, Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida and Kolkata,” sources in IT said.

This is not the first time when a betting racket has been busted in Delhi-NCR. In August this year, thirty-one people were arrested during a raid on a house at Atta village in Sector 27 involved in a betting racket run through a website, Satta King, from Dubai.  Cops claimed that almost 60 more people were involved in the racket who managed to flee the spot. Similarly, In July this year, Delhi police busted an illegal online casino at Kotla Mubarakpur in south Delhi and arrested four persons in this connection. Sleuths suspect the racket could be linked to money laundering.