Police arrest 65-year-old bookie in Jyotinagar illegal betting den raid

The Central Crime Branch’s special investigation wing has busted an illegal horse race betting den in Jyotinagar, west Bengaluru, and arrested a 65-year-old bookie. The law enforcement action successfully shut down the illicit operation, which was being run directly out of a residential neighborhood in the western part of the city.

The arrested bookie, identified by police as P Sheshadri, was operating the illegal racket from a room located on the third floor of a residential building. According to authorities, Sheshadri was actively accepting bets on horse races from various punters who participated in the gambling. These betting transactions were being conducted through both cash payments and online transfers.

Officers from the special investigation wing revealed that Sheshadri was conducting these gambling activities without holding any valid licence to do so. To manage the illegal enterprise, the accused utilized multiple mobile phones and several different bank accounts to process the incoming bets from punters.

During the raid on the Jyotinagar residential building, police officers seized a variety of items used to facilitate the betting den's daily operations. The confiscated property included four mobile phones, a tablet device, a calculator, and pens. Additionally, investigators recovered 15 sheets of paper that contained specific horse race details and written betting records.

According to the police, subsequent investigations into the seized mobile phones revealed that some of the devices were directly linked to bank accounts. These specific accounts were being utilized by the accused to handle and process the financial transactions associated with the illegal horse race betting racket. Following the successful raid, the entire illegal betting operation was officially shut down, and Sheshadri was taken into police custody for further legal action.