Betting ring with Kolkata link busted, jeweller held

Nagpur: The crime branch has busted yet another racket involving a city-based bookie and his six punters from Kolkata on Wednesday. Earlier this week, city police under CP Amitesh Kumar had arrested seven top bookies and hawala traders after offences were registered against them at Lakadganj police station.
In the latest raid, the crime branch team under assistant police inspector Pankaj Dharge arrested Akash Bansal from his jewellery shop at Telephone Exchange Square. He was operating his betting business through an app which cops are now probing.
In a first of its kind, police have made his punters — Ankit, Satish, NG, Sunny, Mukund and Shubham — co-accused in the case. This case, too, has been registered at Lakadganj police station.
It’s learnt that Bansal, a bullion trader, was accepting bets in the ongoing IPL matches from punters at Dahibazar and Kolkata when cops zeroed in on him. During the raid conducted under the supervision of Addl CP, crime, Sunil Phulari and ACP Sudhir Nandanwar, the police also seized two mobile phones.
CP Kumar said the investigation in cases pertaining to bookies is under way. “If there are any issues coming to the fore then we will alert agencies like the Enforcement Directorate or the Income Tax,” he said.
According to sources, many top bookies have gone underground after raids were conducted at their dens and residences this week. TOI has learnt that several bookies have also left the city to conduct their operations. During the IPL season, bookies rake in profits amounting to crores of rupees.