Vadodara — A major online cricket betting syndicate has been dismantled in a police raid in the Karelibagh neighborhood of Vadodara. Bharat Vallabhdas Aswani, a resident of Nataraj Enclave Tower near Jalaram Mandir in Karelibagh and originally from Junagadh, was arrested with cash and valuables totaling over Rs 5.82 lakh. The operation was led by the city's PCB police unit, based on actionable intelligence.
The arrest comes during the month of Shravan, traditionally a high season for gambling activities due to prevailing superstitions. This led the police to step up their surveillance, relying on informants to monitor criminal activities. The police acted on a tip that Aswani was at his rented home in Nataraj Enclave Tower to settle the accounts of his betting operations. The information also specified that betting activities included wagers on the Metro Bank One Day Cup match between Wickshire and Hampshire.
Upon raiding the premises, police seized two mobile phones from Aswani’s bedroom and confirmed that betting activities were being conducted through these devices. Aswani's wife was also present at the time of the raid. A total of eight individuals, including both associates and clients, have been implicated in the case, and efforts to apprehend them are underway.
During the interrogation, Aswani confessed to acquiring three online IDs from a contact identified as Pisu Dada Ranchi. The accounts of these betting operations were maintained by a Mumbai resident known as Jugar alias Ankur. Cash amounts of Rs 1360 and Rs 2.80 lakh were recovered from the TV showcase in the bedroom during the police search.
Moreover, investigators uncovered 48 customer IDs in Aswani’s possession. One of the accounts showed a balance of Rs 4.50 lakh as of August 29, with the current balance being Rs 1.09 lakh. Another account revealed a startling credit balance of Rs 40 lakh. Usernames for 37 customers were listed in one account, while additional accounts contained usernames and balances for 9 other customers, amounting to Rs 14.86 lakh.
This operation is a significant blow to the illegal gambling industry, emphasizing the aggressive stance taken by the Vadodara police in cracking down on such activities.
