The Hyderabad city police on Sunday arrested three people for selling tickets to matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) scheduled at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in black.
The police said that the accused, identified as 19-year-old Ranjith, Varun and Rahul, both aged 18, were ticket booking clerks and agents of ‘Events Now’, an event management company, and were selling tickets at a counter near the Assembly Metro Rail Station.
“They were selling tickets priced at Rs 1,000 for Rs 2,000 and those priced at Rs 1,500 for Rs 3,000, depending on the demand of the buyers. After bargaining, the accused would take the customers to a side and hand over their tickets,” the police said in a press note.
Investigation officials said that they seized 16 tickets, Rs 37,500 in cash and three cell phones from the possession of the accused, who were caught red-handed, based on a tip-off.
“The accused persons along with seized material were handed over to the Station House Officer, Saifabad Police Station, for necessary further action. The arrest was made under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police, Commissioner’s Task Force P Radha Kishan Rao,” the police added.
In May last year, the Hyderabad police uncovered a massive cricket betting racket as it arrested 12 persons and seized a net cash of Rs 15.5 lakh. Based on a tip off, the Commissioner’s Task Force, East Zone Team, conducted simultaneous raids at four different places in Hyderabad and Secunderabad. The police also found an additional Rs 7.27 lakh in two Axis Bank accounts, 22 cell phones and other incriminating material.
The raids were conducted on the hideouts of cricket bookies and collection agents while they were collecting betting amounts on an ongoing match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Marredpally, Mangalhat and Kachiguda.