Kolkata Police on Sunday arrested three youths for running an illegal betting racket from inside the Eden Gardens stadium during the India-South Africa Test series.
India began their WTC campaign in England, but took the lead with the West Indies series underway when they won two matches of the series. After winning two games they progressed to Eden Gardens, where the unconventional track troubled them.
The next match will be played at the Guwahati Stadium, where the Indian team will try to save the series after a 30-run defeat in the first Test. Shubman Gill will also be expected to return, as he missed the Kolkata Test and India played with one less batsman.
Three people arrested in Eden Gardens in connection with betting racket
A case of cricket betting has come to light in the first Test match between India and South Africa being played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Officers from the Detective Department and Anti-Rowdy Squad of Kolkata Police swung into action. They were in a joint operation where they arrested three people from the F1 block of the prestigious venue for their involvement in cricket betting.
The accused have been identified as Altaf Khan, Ankush Raj and Patel Pinkal Kumar, who are said to be residents of Maharashtra, Bihar and Gujarat. The latest report by IANS, which quoted Kolkata Police officials, said the trio had specifically traveled to Kolkata to conduct the betting operation.
It was reported that on Saturday, the second day of the game, officials received confidential information about spectators allegedly betting through mobile phones inside the Eden Gardens.
Police sources reveal apps used by betting accused
During their raid, the police chased three people who were allegedly involved in illegal activity on mobile apps like br365, R777 and 1xBook during the match. He had also revealed that some of them had fled from the spot.
A senior Kolkata Police official said, “The three detained persons were thoroughly investigated. Some objectionable transactions could be found on their mobile phones. The phones were seized after screenshots of such transactions were obtained…further investigation is underway.”
A case was registered at the Maidan Police Station for multiple offences, and he was booked under Section 61(2)/318(4) of the Gambling Prize Contest Act.
Team India is under pressure after the embarrassing defeat at Eden Gardens.
Eden Gardens hosted the first Test in 6 years, but the red ball match did not live up to fans’ expectations. The Asian team, which was hosting the African giants, failed to carry the momentum on their home soil.
South Africa are back to winning ways after losing the first Test of this WTC cycle. They won their second match against Pakistan and now won their third match against the Indian team. On the third day, Temba Bavuma single-handedly scored an unbeaten half-century and gave the team a lead of 123 runs.
The remaining talent came from the Proteas bowlers, as Simon Harmer took 4 wickets, and Keshav Maharaj as well as Aiden Markram were dismissed, leaving them out for just 93 runs.
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