A man was arrested on Sunday for allegedly running a cricket betting racket during the India-South Africa match of the ICC Men’s T-20 World Cup Cricket through multiple online apps.
Police said Pratik Pincha, 32, a resident of Ganges Garden in Shibpur, Howrah, was arrested from an office on the second floor of a building at Indian Exchange Place.
“The raid was conducted based on specific information that a cricket betting racket was being operated from the building. The racket was being run using two betting applications. Accordingly, a case has been started at Hare Street police station under sections of the BNS and that of the West Bengal Gambling and Prize Competitions Act,” joint commissioner (crime), Kolkata Police, Rupesh Kumar, said on Monday.
Pincha, originally from Bikaner, had come to Howrah four years ago, stated the police. He claimed that he is a businessman who deals with paper.
A senior police officer said that a range of betting applications were found on his phone. The police team found ₹40,000 on him.
He was produced before a court on Monday. He has been remanded to police custody till March 2.
According to police sources, Pincha would be interrogated to verify whether there were others associated with the betting racket.
“We possess evidence indicating that he amassed a significant sum of money from individuals for wagering on teams during the match. We are currently in the process of identifying the matches in which he and his team engaged in betting,” said a senior police officer involved in the case.