Mangaluru, Mar 21: The betting trade is flourishing in this coastal city with youths falling prey to the racket as the ICC World T20 tournament is underway in the country.
The city police, who nabbed a youth last Friday for allegedly being involved in cricket betting, said that a racket is involved in it as it helps to make easy money for both who operate and the other puts money on betting.
In T-20, bets are placed on wins, losses, runs per ball, final scores of teams or batsmen, how a batsman will get out, number of overs that each team will bowl and man of the match. Apart from betting on a win, hundreds are likely to place their money on who wins the toss, fall of wickets, number of boundaries, runs of individual players.
After the arrest of Melwin Vishwas, resident of Asha Kiran apartment at Kadri, the police keeping watch on several establishments in the city to curb the betting racket. Melwin allegedly had links with a Mumbai based bookie, whom they have identified, and for whom the accused took bids from punters.
M Chandra Sekhar, city police chief told reporters that police seized Rs 3,02,700 in cash, a mobile phone and a LED TV from the accused in a raid that the CCB police carried out on a tip off. "He was in regular touch with the Mumbai bookie," Chandra Sekhar said adding the stakes involved betting on results, spot fixing, run rates and whole other facets of the game. Since this is a non cognizable and bailable offence, we have let Melwin go, but he is under watch, he noted.
Noting that Melwin, whom he described as sub-bookie, was caught while taking bets for the group B game involving Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand and Australia, Chandra Sekhar said police are also investigating if he took bets for India's tournament opener against the Kiwis at Nagpur. "We are also probing if Melwin and or the bookie had any role or connection to an earlier betting racket busted in Ullal recently, and investigations will go accordingly," he said.
If it is found that Melwin and the Mumbai bookie are habitual offenders, police could consider booking them under the Goonda Act or other sections of the Indian Penal Code, the city police chief said. The above case has been handed over to Mangaluru East police station for further investigation, he said adding CCB sleuths also seized a log book from Melwin. Deputy Commissioners of Police K M Shantharaju and M Sanjeev Patil were present.
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India government should legalize cricket betting. if u can stop! stop alcohol cigarette,repair the road, not double helmet.
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