Hyderabad: In a massive raid conducted by the North Zone team, along with the local police, two organised cricket betting gangs in Abids and Kulsumpura were busted and cash worth Rs 7.72 lakh was seized, along with 10 cell phones.

In the first case, the raid at Abids unearthed an organised cricket betting set-up at the MS Associates Furniture sales shop, beside Kamat Hotel and three men were apprehended.





They were identified as Suresh Kumar Vyas, 56, a bookie, Pawan Agarwal, 34, and Santosh Kumar Varma, alias Santosh, 42, a betting collection agent, said the police. The officials seized Rs 6.75 lakhs, six cell phones, a television set and a set-top box. “Suresh Kumar Vyas runs a furniture sales business named MS Associates Furniture, at Abids. He formed a gang with Pawan Agarwal and Santosh Kumar Varma and was conducting a cricket betting racket. He was collecting bets from punters,” said P. Radhakishan Rao, DCP, Commissioner's Task Force.

Another bookie was apprehended from the Kulsumpura raid, near Yellamma temple, Jiyaguda. The man was identified as Navrkale Lakhan, 28, and the officials seized Rs 97,000, a television set, four mobile phones and a calculator.

“During the T20 Tri-series final on Sunday between India and Bangladesh, held at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka, the bookies collected huge betting amounts through agents, from punters directly and indirectly. Acting on a tip-off, the sleuths of the Commissioner’s Task Force, North Zone Team along with the local police raided the betting premises under the limits of Abids and Kulsumpura, and apprehended the two organised betting gangs,” added the officials.