The NM Joshi Marg police have busted a Indian Premier League (IPL) betting racket that was being run from a five-star hotel near Phoenix mall. The police have also come across a betting website that was being used to accept bets on matches and individual players. Three persons, including a woman have been booked by the police.
According to the police, specific information was received by them on Friday that a few persons have booked a room on the 27th floor of a 5-star hotel near Phoenix mall and were accepting bets on IPL cricket matches. The police had concrete information that bets were being accepted on Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings match inside the hotel room.
A police team raided the place around 8:30 pm. A police officer knocked the door of the room and on entering inside the door the police team found two businessmen Pravesh Bafna (29), Chetan Salecha (30) and a 23-year old woman.
"When we checked the mobile phone of one of the persons present in the room we came across a website www.lotusbook247.com on which rates on the matches as well as individual players were available. Bafna had taken a user ID to accept and place bets on the said website. We have seized cash Rs 97300, eight mobile phones, eight mobile phones totally worth Rs 3 lakh, a laptop. Since April 01, Bafna had booked five rooms in the hotel and would often change the rooms while operating," said a police officer.
The police on Saturday registered a case under sections 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 419 (Punishment for cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), 465 (Punishment for forgery), 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) of the Indian Penal Code, sections 4 (Keeping common gaming-house) and 5 (Gaming in common gaming-houses) of Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act, sections 66C (punishment for identity theft), 66D (punishment for cheating by personation by using computer resource) and 84b (Punishment for abetment of offences) of the Information Technology Act.
