Hyderabad: The Goshamahal Police, on Friday, May 29, busted an online cricket betting racket operating from Begum Bazar in Hyderabad.
Acting on credible information, the police team raided the house at Narayan Bhavan and arrested Venu Gopal Sharma, alias “Idly Venu,” who was allegedly running illegal cricket betting operations through WhatsApp and other communication platforms.
Gopal Sharma was actively organising betting activities and collecting wagers from punters through intermediaries. He confessed to conducting cricket and racecourse betting under the banner of “Godavari Associates” along with his associates. He also admitted to deleting WhatsApp chats related to the betting activities in an attempt to destroy evidence and evade detection.
Investigators revealed that Sharma is a habitual offender and has previously been involved in multiple betting-related cases registered at Goshamahal and Charminar police stations.
Police seized a OnePlus Nord mobile phone and Rs. 3,000 in cash from the accused. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway.
The accused has been remanded to judicial custody.
