A press release issued by the police on Saturday stated that some accused were using cell phones with SIM cards registered in the name of other people.As many as 31 persons, including a few bookies and their accomplices, have been arrested for illegally betting online on horse races in Pune, said police.
After receiving information about the ‘online betting’, Deputy Commissioner of Police (zone 4) Pankaj Deshmukh formed separate teams and carried out raids at different locations in the jurisdictions of Wanavdi, Kondhwa and Hadapsar police stations on Friday.
While 31 persons were arrested during the raids, police lodged six offences including three at Wanavdi police station, two at Kondhwa police station and one at Hadapsar police station. The police have also seized 31 cell phones, six laptops, cash and gambling items, together worth Rs 3.41 lakh from their possession. The accused were produced before a court, which remanded them to police custody for one day.
Police said the Mumbai racing season is on at the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) in Pune. “Betting stalls are allowed inside the race course premises. But due to Covid-19, they are not allowed this year. The races are shown on online portals….We found people betting on these horse races shown online. It is illegal and causes violation of norms and loss of revenue to the government. So legal action has been taken against 31 persons, among whom about 12 are either bookies or their associates who were taking bets over phone and through online platforms,” Deshmukh said.
A press release issued by the police on Saturday stated that some accused were using cell phones with SIM cards registered in the name of other people.