Mumbai Crime: Betting racket busted in Santacruz; four held

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The Santacruz Police busted a cricket betting syndicate that was accepting bets over the ongoing Big Bash League T20 tournament in Australia. Four people have been arrested in this connection so far.

The accused have been identified as Bipin Shah alias Bipin Indraprasth, 48, Jitendra Jadhav, 38, Narayan Rebari, 24 and Devilal Jaat, 40. According to the police, Bipin Shah was arrested by the Thane Anti Extortion Cell earlier too in a high-profile betting case.

Shriram Koregaonkar, senior police inspector of Santacruz police station said, "Following a tip-off, raids were conducted at the Ashiyana building on Linking Road in Santacruz West. The accused had rented a flat here for the purpose of betting. While Bipin Shah was coordinating and fixing rates with other bookies over calls, Jadhav was working on a laptop and Rebari was receiving calls from other bookies and customers. Jaat was assisting the three."

"A laptop, 14 mobile phones and some documents have been seized from the spot and the accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act and Indian Telegram Act," said DCP Paramjit Singh Dahiya (Zone 9). He added, "The four might be working for another syndicate. We are investigating this angle to find if other bookies are involved."

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