In a shocking revelation, sources have confirmed that bets worth up to Rs50 billion (Rs5,000 in Indian Rupees) have been placed on the upcoming Champions Trophy final match between India and Pakistan, set to take place in Dubai on Sunday.
According to sources tracking global betting rings, India is the overwhelming favourite among international bookies.
Many of these bookies are reportedly connected to criminal underworld syndicates, including the notorious “D Company” led by fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, which is said to have significant involvement in betting on major cricket matches.
These operations often see big-time bookies converge in Dubai during major tournaments, capitalising on the high-stakes environment surrounding such matches.
In a series of investigations linked to the ongoing Champions Trophy, at least five prominent bookies have been arrested by Delhi Police’s Crime Branch for their involvement in illegal betting during the tournament’s semi-finals.
These arrests have revealed the extensive global network operating from Dubai, where much of the betting is reportedly being controlled.
Among those arrested were two bookies, Parveen Kochhar and Sanjay Kumar, who were caught placing live bets during the India-Australia semi-final. Police seized multiple electronic devices used for betting, including laptops and mobile phones.
Kochhar, in particular, had purchased a master ID from a website called lucky.com, which he used to generate betting IDs and sell them to punters. The operation ran a commission of 3 percent on every transaction, with bets being placed both online and offline.
Kochhar had been operating out of a rented house in Delhi for the past two years, charging a monthly rent of Rs35,000, with a profit of Rs40,000 every match day. He confessed during interrogation that the entire betting network was being controlled from Dubai.
Other major players in the international betting syndicate have also been identified. Notable figures include Chhotu Bansal, a Delhi resident who developed a betting app in Canada and is currently residing in Dubai.
Another bookie, Vinay from Delhi’s Moti Nagar, also operates from Dubai and provides live feedback from the cricket grounds during matches. Other key individuals identified in the syndicate are Bobby, Golu, Nitin Jain, and Jitu, who are all involved in the operations.
The police also arrested three major operators, Manish Sahani, Yogesh Kukeja, and Suraj, all of whom are linked to the Dubai-based network. A significant sum of Rs22 lakh in cash was recovered from the suspects, who are believed to have played pivotal roles in managing transactions and recording bets.
Sahani, in particular, was identified as the main operator of the gang, managing the entire betting process from voice recordings of participants to handling transactions via bank accounts and cash.
During their interrogations, the arrested bookies revealed the involvement of several others, including Mannu Matka, Akshay Gehlot, Nishu, Rinku, and Aman Rajput, who are responsible for developing the ‘Satta’ betting app used by the syndicate outside India.
As the Champions Trophy final approaches, the massive scale of illegal betting and its underworld connections continue to unfold, raising serious concerns about the integrity of the sport and the broader impact of such operations on the global cricketing community.