Five Held in Raigarh IPL Betting Crackdown Under ‘Operation Ankush’; ₹4.7 Lakh Seized
Raipur:
In a major crackdown on illegal online cricket betting during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season, Raigarh police on Friday arrested five persons allegedly involved in operating a betting racket from different parts of the city under a coordinated drive codenamed ‘Operation Ankush’.
The raids, carried out simultaneously at three locations by teams of the Cyber Cell and Kotwali police station, led to the seizure of ₹2.70 lakh cash, a currency-counting machine, six mobile phones, and other digital evidence. Police estimated the total value of the seized property at around ₹4.70 lakh.
The operation was conducted on the directions of Raigarh SSP Shashi Mohan Singh under the supervision of CSP Mayank Mishra and DSP (Cyber) Unnati Thakur.
Betting Network Busted at Trading Office
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, police first raided the office of RS Trading Company located on the Kotraroad Bypass, where Saket Singhania was allegedly found operating an online IPL betting network.
During the search, investigators recovered betting IDs, WhatsApp chats, and records of UPI transactions linked to wagering activities from his mobile phones. Police said Singhania allegedly admitted during interrogation that he was running the betting operations along with several associates. A Vivo handset and an iPhone 13 Pro were seized from his possession.
Grocery Shop Used as Betting Hub
In a separate raid near the old Punjab National Bank branch, police apprehended Ritesh Dalmia from a grocery shop where betting activities were allegedly being facilitated.
Based on information obtained during questioning, police teams moved to the Chandmari area and detained Raunak Modanwal and his wife Priyanka Halwai. Another accused, identified as Pintu Halwai, is currently absconding.
Police recovered ₹2.69 lakh cash along with an electronic currency-counting machine during the operation, indicating large-scale cash transactions linked to betting activities.
Third Raid Near Carmel School
The third operation was conducted at a rented accommodation near Sanjay Maidan in the Rambhatha locality, where police arrested Pradeep Kumar Pandey.
According to investigators, screenshots of digital transactions and betting-related applications were found on his mobile phone. Police said Pandey allegedly confessed to operating betting activities in coordination with Pintu Halwai and others. Preliminary examination of the digital evidence revealed transactions amounting to nearly ₹90,000.
Cases Registered Under Gambling Act
Kotwali police have registered three separate cases against the accused under provisions of the Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act.
The arrested accused were identified as:
- Pradeep Kumar Pandey (52), resident of Rambhatha
- Ritesh Dalmia (28), resident of Beedpara
- Priyanka Halwai (37), resident of Chandmari
- Raunak Modanwal (19), resident of Chandmari
- Saket Singhania (37), resident of Kotraroad
SSP Shashi Mohan Singh said online betting has emerged as a serious social and economic threat, particularly for youth, and asserted that Raigarh police are intensifying efforts to dismantle organized betting syndicates through technical surveillance and ground-level intelligence.
He warned that strict legal action would continue against individuals involved in illegal betting operations.
The raiding teams included Kotwali SHO Inspector Sukhnandan Patel, Cyber Cell SHO Inspector Vijay Chelak, and other police personnel.
