Hyderabad: The city police busted an inter-state cricket betting gang on Wednesday led by one Satya Prakash Jindal alias Nikku comprising bookies from Rajasthan and Haryana. The cops arrested 13 people. The police recovered Rs 26 lakh and communication equipment from them. The gang was active in the city since six months. The police conducted raids at three places after a tip-off, when a test match between South Africa and Bangladesh was going on. Police found the gang was involved in a betting racket spread across TS, AP, Haryana and Rajasthan.

“This was an organised racket led by Satya Prakash Jindal alis Nikku. He used to organise betting in the four states. He has several sub-bookies to whom he shares the betting line over cell phones and accepts betting,” police commissioner M. Mahender Reddy said.

Satya Prakash is the main bookie in Hyderabad and he was constantly in touch with sub bookies and punters on the phone. He has employees and several phone connections to share updated betting rates with other bookies, the police chief said.

"He used to receive betting rates from a person named Ashu of Rajasthan through line phones, for which he procured four line boxes having 35 mobile phones, laptops and other equipment,” the commissioner said.

Ashu is absconding. Satya Prakash recruited seven persons from Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab to receive phone callsfrom punters.