Task Force busts online betting racket, arrests seven

HYDERABAD: The Commissioner’s Task Force, West Zone, Hyderabad, on credible information, busted an online betting racket and apprehended one bookie, five agents and one punter for organising illegal betting through websites such as Skyexch, Radhe Exchange, 99 Races, 365 Races and Placebet999.

Police seized ₹25,000 cash, 55 mobile phones, three laptops, a Samsung tablet, 60 debit cards and three scanners during the operation.

Trap at Purana Pool leads to arrests

Acting on a tip-off, the Task Force laid a trap at Murali Nagar, Purana Pool, Bahadurpura, and caught Suresh Soni, who was betting on Placebet999. On interrogation, he said he had purchased points from Girish Agarwal of Charminar, identified as the bookie.

Following this lead, police apprehended Girish Agarwal along with agents Maninder Pal Singh, Pawan Kumar Sharma, Kishan Sharma, Mohith Agarwal and Rahul Agarwal. They were found in possession of multiple electronic devices and debit cards.

According to police, Girish Agarwal recruited agents to open fresh bank accounts by paying them ₹3,000 each. He retained control of the accounts and used them for online betting transactions.

23.5 lakh points recovered

Investigators found betting points worth 23,51,505 in five platforms: Skyexch (9,80,538), Radhe Exchange (94,073), 99 Races (3,91,777), 365 Races (7,85,117) and Placebet999 (1,00,000). Each point is equal to one rupee.

The operation was led by Inspector Ch. Yadender and Sub-Inspector D. Ravi Raj, with support from the West Zone Task Force team.