Ahmedabad IPL betting bust: Six arrested, ₹3.10 lakh cash and mobiles seized

A late-night raid by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch led to the arrest of six individuals allegedly running an online betting racket linked to the Indian Premier League from a rented apartment in the city’s Memnagar area.

The operation was uncovered during Friday night’s IPL clash between Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings, with the accused reportedly placing bets in real time using multiple online betting IDs.

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Acting on specific intelligence, officials raided a flat in Anand Park Society around 11 p.m., discovering that the premises had been set up exclusively to facilitate gambling activities.

Those arrested have been identified as Kapil alias Chirag Thakkar (24), Abhay Thakkar (30), Yashkumar Akhani (30), Meet Jaiswal (25), Kalpesh Thakkar (35), and Dhruv Thakkar (27), all hailing from Banaskantha district.

According to investigators, the group operated a dual model; some members placed bets directly, while others earned commissions by distributing betting IDs to a wider network of users.

During the raid, authorities seized 16 mobile phones worth ₹2.6 lakh along with ₹50,110 in cash, taking the total recovery to ₹3.1 lakh.

Police have also identified additional suspects believed to be key links in the network. Ronak Thakkar from Patan and Deep Thakkar from Ahmedabad are currently absconding and are suspected of supplying betting IDs to the group.

Several individuals from different parts of Gujarat have also been traced as customers of the racket, including Akash Lalwani (Ahmedabad), Kishan Thakkar (Gandhinagar), Jitu (Ahmedabad), and Zamak (Bhabhar).

An offence has been registered under the Gambling Act, and further investigation is underway to dismantle the wider betting network and apprehend those still at large.

The crackdown is part of an ongoing effort by the Crime Branch to curb illegal cricket-related activities in the city. In previous cases, authorities have acted against black-market ticket sales, including arrests near the Narendra Modi Stadium during major matches.

More recently, police detained a teenager for attempting to resell tickets for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final at inflated prices after purchasing them through official platforms.