The Central Crime Branch and the Economic and Narcotic Crime Police have arrested six persons said to be involved in online betting during Indian Premier League cricket matches and also using 20 benami bank accounts for depositing betting proceeds.
The police gave the names of the accused as Vikram Kumpala, Dhanpal Shetty, Kamalesh, Harish Shetty, Preetesh and Avinash.
Police Commissioner N. Shashi Kumar told reporters on Tuesday that the accused were using mobile betting apps such as Star App and Lotus Book 24X7. They used benami accounts in the Mangaluru branches of Axis Bank, Karnataka Bank and HDFC Bank for betting transactions.
Mr. Kumar said that the accused Harish Shetty, Preetesh and Avinash operated from Visakhapatnam and they were arrested on April 30. The police obtained information about these three accused from Kumpala, Shetty and Kamalesh, who were arrested on April 21. These arrested persons and a few other accused operated in an organised way from the outskirts of Mangaluru and other places in Goa, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, he said.
The police have seized 20 bank accounts that had a total of ₹20 lakh deposits. The police also recovered ₹3 lakh in cash and 10 mobile phones. “We have secured a lot of information about their operations and more persons will be arrested,” he said.
Mr. Kumar appreciated the efforts put in by CCB Inspector Mahesh Prasad, Police Sub-Inspector Satish M.P. and other members of the team involved in unravelling the illegal betting racket.
