Cricket betting racket: Three partners of Jaipur hotel on the run

JAIPUR: Three partners of a leading restaurant and pub in the city are on the run after their names cropped up in a Rajasthan police special operations group (SOG) investigation into a cricket betting racket on Thursday.

SOG officials said that two brothers — Vinod Jain and Vijay Jain — and their partner Ankit Madhopuria were found to be involved in the betting nexus. The Jain brothers’ Moji Colony and Mahavir Nagar located flats were searched but the duo, who got wind of the impending police action, managed to flee.

The nexus was detected after a separate SOG unit on Wednesday learnt from its informers that one Man Mohan Sen, a resident of Johri Bazar, was scheduled to deliver a huge amount of unaccounted cash from Kishanpole to Raja Park area. The SOG inspectors intercepted Sen and recovered Rs 25 lakh from him.

“During interrogation, Man Mohan admitted he was involved in the racket and the unaccounted cash was found to be betting collection linked to Vinod Jain, Vijay Jain and Jetu Sindhi,” an official said.

Subsequent investigation took the ATS to Ankit Madhopuria, who lives near Hawa Sadak. However, by the time sleuths reached his house, the accused had already fled. “He dumped his laptop, betting diary, mobile phones, and Rs 5 lakh in cash at the house of his friends in Himmat Nagar,” the SOG claimed.

As SOG began to unravel the betting network, they dispatched another team to detain Jain brothers for questioning, but they managed to give the cops a slip. The SOG said that the Jain brothers in partnership with Madhopuria ran a prominent multi-cuisine restaurant located on Calgeri Road in Malviya Nagar. The two brothers recently also opened a pub in the mall.

SOG officials said that Man Mohan Sen had tied up with several other leading businessmen in the city. “Sen is an important link in the chain. He used to collect money from those who lose bets and deliver it to winners. Jain brothers and his partner were bookies,” the official said.

Box: Hawala racket unearthed, silver worth Rs 3 crore seised

The Rajasthan ATS on Thursday arrested two persons from Rajsamand district and recovered 6.36 quintal of silver which was being delivered to Rajkot in Gujarat from Agra in Uttar Pradesh. The ATS official informed TOI that sleuths intercepted a car and recovered silver hidden inside the vehicle based on specific input from its Udaipur unit. Two persons — Sachin Badloiya and Dheeru — were detained. Police said that silver was moved through a hawala channel.