Assets worth Rs 45 lakh seized; syndicate operated via cashless mode from rented premises in Goa
PANAJI
In what Goa Police have described as one of the largest crackdowns on illegal betting in the country, the North Goa police and Crime Branch (CB) have arrested 44 persons and seized assets worth Rs 45 lakh in connection with a large-scale Indian Premier League (IPL) betting operation.
The arrests of the non-Goan accused were made across six coordinated raids conducted over the span of six days. Of these, two major operations led by the CB resulted in 34 arrests and the seizure of property worth Rs 40 lakh.
Addressing a press conference at the police headquarters on Wednesday, Superintendent of Police (CB) Rahul Gupta said that the scale of the operation makes it one of the biggest in India with evidence pointing to extensive betting not only on IPL matches but also on other cricket series and football games.
“Acting on reliable information and intelligence, we launched a targeted operation in coordination with IRB staff. The rackets were operating at a massive scale using sophisticated systems. The accused had set up dedicated customer service teams, pay-in and pay-out mechanisms and robust technical infrastructure to avoid detection,” Gupta said.
Assets recovered during the raids include 101 mobile phones, 17 laptops and desktop computers, 95 bank passbooks, 145 ATM cards, over 50 SIM cards, numerous cheque books, CCTV systems and internet routers. The SP added that the raiding teams also found registers and other documentation used to manage the illicit betting network.
“The syndicate had been active since November–December last year, operating from rented properties across Goa. The entire operation was cashless, conducted entirely through digital transactions. We have recovered a significant volume of digital evidence including chat messages, QR codes from payment platforms like Paytm and other transaction records,” he added.
Although no physical cash was recovered, the total value of the transactions is estimated to be around Rs 45 lakh, including Rs 40 lakh recovered on Tuesday night alone. Gupta further stated that preliminary investigations suggest that the Goa-based module was part of a larger betting syndicate operating across several states.
“The accused were brought together to act as customer service agents and handle pay-ins and pay-outs for bettors and bookies across the illegal network,” the officer said.
To prevent the accused from securing quick bail under the Gambling Act, police have also invoked stringent sections including charges of impersonation and cheating.
