Jaisalmer: Balotra police Saturday night busted an IPL betting racket, arresting four alleged bookies and seizing betting records “worth crores of rupees” along with 33 mobile phones and three laptops.Balotra SP Ramesh IPS said the raid was carried out under directives to curb illegal cricket betting during IPL 2026 and to take strict legal action against gamblers.The District Special Team (DST) and Balotra police station team, led by Shishpalsingh RPS (trainee), raided a rented house near City Park after receiving information on Friday night that organised betting was being run during the IPL 2026 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants, police said.Police identified the arrested accused as Javed, Manish, Asraf and Mahendra. Seized items included three laptops, 33 mobiles, a “piano attachi” (mobile setup), diaries containing accounts “worth crores of rupees”, a Wi-Fi router, chargers and other equipment used in betting operations, police said.Preliminary investigation found the accused were running betting in an “organised and technical manner”, frequently changing locations to evade detection, police said, adding that the team had kept them under surveillance for the past month. Police said the group allegedly used online video conferencing apps to connect customers and show live match streams for placing bets.Police said the case has been registered under various sections of the BNS. The accused were produced in court and sent on remand as further investigation continues.
