Another small time bookie landed into the custody of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar Police Commissionerate, for his involvement in an online cricket betting racket in Mira Road on Monday night. The arrested accused has been identified as-Parvez Babubhai Shaikh- a resident of Mira Road.
Acting on a tip-off, a team led by API-Tejashri Shinde and PSI- Prakash Kamble under the instructions of Senior Police Inspector-Sandip Kadam raided an apartment in the Kanakia area of Mira Road and caught Parvez Shaikh red handed while accepting bets for the T-20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) being held in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu-Dhabi.
According to the police the accused had been accepting and placing bets on mobile applications linked to online betting websites. While seven smartphones, SIM cards and a laptop were seized, the accused has been booked under the relevant sections of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1985 and Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act, 1987, police said.
Bookies and gamblers have adopted high-tech ways to place bets and settle accounts in a cashless mode via mobile applications and websites to evade the police dragnet. A duo was recently arrested by the Navghar police in Bhayandar for their involvement in a similar crime. Further investigations were underway.
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