Kingpin of online cricket betting racket nabbed from Kolkata

BERHAMPUR: After five months of cat-and-mouse game, Berhampur police has arrested the kingpin of an online cricket betting racket from Kolkata. Addressing mediapersons here on Friday, Berhampur SP Pinak Mishra said the accused, 46-year-old Dinesh Kumar Rathi, was a stockist and had many business agents, some of whom were arrested by Gosaninuagaon police in October last year.

A special police team arrested Rathi from Sovaram Basak Street in Kolkata on Thursday. A laptop and other electronic gadgets seized from Rathi’s possession will be sent for forensic analysis. He was produced in the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Kolkata which allowed Berhampur police to take him on a five-day transit remand.

Throwing light on the modus operandi of the racket, the SP said Rathi had created panels or IDs and passwords after getting administrator rights from betting sites. He used to distribute these panels down the line. In October last year, police unearthed the racket and arrested five distributors - R Lalie Achari, K Prashant Subudhi, Vishal Agarwal, Ajaya Panda, Sanjit Behera and seller Ajit Barada  in this connection.

Besides, police had seized Rs 30 lakh, mobile phones, SIM, ATM and PAN cards, screenshots from mobile phones used for facilitating online IPL betting from their possession. Since then, Rathi was under the scanner of Berhampur police.

A number of bank accounts of Rathi having Rs 72.96 lakh were frozen. The SP said police are now investigating the kingpin’s criminal antecedents. Police has prayed to the local court to take Rathi on a three-day remand.