Delhi Police step up bookie vigil

NEW DELHI: The Delhi police, which exposed the betting mafia’s hand in fixing matches, is monitoring cricket bookies who have long been part of the racket.

“There are at least five bookies who are part of the game internationally and we are keeping an eye on them,” said Neeraj Thakur, deputy commissioner of police (crime branch). “We normally tighten vigilance during big international matches.”

Recently, police arrested two businessmen in Delhi for betting on the India-Sri Lanka match. Thakur said Vikrant Gupta and Anil Garg operated from cars fitted with television sets and mobile phones. “They changed cars regularly to avoid getting caught,” he said.

“We initially found it difficult to trace these people because they were constantly on the move and their exact location was not known,” Thakur said. Bets were being accepted for every ball played.