The odds are against the Indian cricket team for Sunday’s World Cup tie against Ireland, but bookies cannot make a killing because the kingpin of the betting racket is in the police net.
Harish, a resident of Rajajinagar, was arrested on Saturday.
The odds are against the Indian cricket team for Sunday’s World Cup tie against Ireland, but bookies cannot make a killing because the kingpin of the betting racket is in the police net.
Harish, a resident of Rajajinagar, was arrested on Saturday.
According to police sources, his arrest has dealt a blow to Bangalore’s organised betting syndicate. “About half a dozen of his cronies and agents are already under radar and they will be arrested soon,” said a senior police officer.
Police commissioner Shankar M Bidari had said some of the main bookies are under police surveillance and details of the investigation may be revealed on Sunday. An officer said Saturday’s ‘Operation Bookies’, launched by the Central Crime Branch (CCB), has achieved a major breakthrough.
“The main bookie owns a five-storeyed building in Rajajinagar and was running the racket as a family business from each floor and nobody had a clue that he controlled the syndicate. We are checking the kingpin’s antecedents and his connections elsewhere in the country and abroad,” said a police officer.
Ireland’s win against England on March 2 was the biggest upset of this ICC World Cup. “We have found that the odds are against India as Ireland has become a favourite team among punters. One can double the returns if the bet is on Ireland and if it goes on to win against India. This is the margin that the syndicate is keeping a close watch on and the betting on which team will win has increased since March 2,” said a police officer.
A punter pointed out that March 2 upset resulted in a huge loss among gamblers. “We never expected that Ireland could win against England. This is the biggest upset of the season. And now we are in two minds as to what is in store for us. If we bet on India, we are not sure we will win. So the Ireland team is considered as the best bet for an individual punter. Each ball bowled against the Ireland batsmen and each batsman’s run rate will also bring in good business for bookies,” said a source.
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