**Bhopal Police Bust Major Online Cricket Betting Racket During Asia Cup, Seize Rs 50 Lakh Worth Goods**

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): In a significant breakthrough during the Asia Cup cricket tournament, Ayodhya Nagar police cracked down on a major online cricket betting racket. Authorities arrested seven accused individuals from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and seized goods worth Rs 50 lakhs used in illegal betting operations, officials announced at a press conference on Monday.

According to officials, bets amounting to several lakhs were placed on matches played in the Asia Cup. Acting on a tip-off, police first intercepted two men operating betting activities from a car in the Meenal area. Mobile phones, laptops, ATM cards, and cash were recovered from them.

Further interrogation led the police to a call centre being operated from a flat in RRG Township, Bhojpur Road. A raid at the location resulted in the arrest of five more accused and the seizure of a large cache of betting-related devices.

The police investigation revealed that the accused obtained betting panels through social media platforms like Instagram and Telegram. They received training on apps such as the banned Mahadev App and later shifted their betting activities to the Rudra Diamond portal.

To evade detection, the accused created fake bank accounts and SIM cards, coordinated via WhatsApp, and frequently changed their locations, sometimes even conducting operations from parked cars. The transactions were carried out using both Indian currency and cryptocurrency (USDT).

**Items Seized by Police:**

– Rs 3.54 lakh in cash
– Two cars
– 40 mobile phones
– 80 SIM cards
– 177 ATM cards
– Five laptops and Wi-Fi routers
– Currency counting machine
– Account registers worth around Rs 1.5 crore

Additionally, around 180 bank accounts linked to the racket were identified, and Rs 15 lakh was frozen by the authorities.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Arun Verma (28), Digeshwar Prasad Verma (33), Divyanshu Pawar (26), Gopi Manikpuri (23), Ankit Das (23), Tarun Verma (24), and Sunil Verma (35). All are residents of districts in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

This major crackdown highlights the ongoing efforts of law enforcement agencies to curb illegal betting activities and maintain the integrity of sports events in the region.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/bhopal/bhopal-news-police-bust-online-cricket-betting-racket-amid-asia-cup-2025-7-arrested