On Sunday, the Metropolitan Crime Division arrested 11 individuals of a betting racket operating in Kathmandu.
They were arrested from different parts of the capital.
The racket was highly active after the ongoing 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) began.
Acting on a tipoff, the Metropolitan Crime Division had raided several places in Kathmandu and arrested them – five Nepali and six Indian nationals.
The Nepali nationals arrested have been identified as 31-year-old Ashok Singh of Kailali, 28-year-old Rahul Kumar Jaiswal of Rautahat, 36-year-old Raju Thapa of Kavre, 31-year-old Santosh Khatiwada of Dhading and 30-year-old Sudip Kumar Mandal of Morang.
Similarly, arrested Indian nationals include 29-year-old Bikram Kumar Jaiswal, 31-year-old Ankit Kumar Kalwar, 40-year-old Mukesh Jaiswal of Bihar, 46-year-old Sushi Jyeshtha of Himachal Pradesh, and 30-year-old Suchit Agrawal of Rajasthan.
According to the division, the police also confiscated 17 mobile phones, Rs. 296,000 cash, diaries and documents of betting during the raids.
“They used to provide username and password for a betting account through which individuals can place their bet in different sports. The racket was found organising betting on the matches of IPL,” said Superintendent of Police (SP) and spokesperson for the division Krishna Prashad Koirala.
However, the division informed that the racket used to organise betting on several sports tournament such as the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League and Series A as well.
“There are several sporting events ongoing throughout a year across the world and the rackets provide a platform for individuals to place their bet,” said SP Koirala.
The sub-section (4) of Section 125 of the National Penal Code, 2017, states that no person shall bet or cause betting. The offender is liable to a sentence of imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and a fine not exceeding Rs. 10,000 along with the forfeiture of the claimed amount used in the offence.
Similarly, the data provided by the Nepal Police show that 477 cases of gambling/betting were recorded across the country in the past fiscal year of 2019/20. Likewise, 381 cases have been recorded under the offence in the current fiscal year (up to April 13).
Nevertheless, the senior officers at Nepal Police said that there were several betting rackets active in the country and that they were operating digitally. The authorities informed that they lacked resources to identify and crack down betting business done through digital infrastructure.
Busting of such rackets takes place when the authorities find about them by investigation or through special tipoff. Similarly, one racket operates from more than one country as well due to which it is difficult to identify and arrest all the members of a racket.
On August 11, 2020, the Metropolitan Police Circle, Kalimati arrested 50-year-old Pawan Kumar Dalmiya on charge of betting. An Indian national from Rajasthan, Dalmiya was arrested from Teku red-handed.
Dalmiya was found to be organising betting on several sporting events and was arrested with Indian rupees 19,300, Afghani rupees 4,240 and US dollars 200.
Many of the similar arrests have been made throughout the country in different time periods. However, authorities argue that they have not been able to do enough.
“Mostly, the rackets operate through a strong connection with their counterparts in India. Since it takes place digitally, people from other countries also help the rackets in Nepal. The illegal betting business is not an easy task to be busted with the digital resources we possess,” said SP Koirala.
Source : THE RISING NEPAL,
