IPL Betting Racket Busted in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh; Two Accused Arrested

April 18, 2026

A major online cricket betting network has been exposed in the Hanumangarh district. The Pilibanga police have arrested two accused individuals who were facilitating bets worth crores of rupees on IPL matches. The accused were operating their online betting racket from various locations while seated inside a car, a tactic that allowed them to evade the police for a considerable period.

Acting on intelligence, the police arrested Puneet Kumar (34) and Pankaj Kumar (33). From their possession, the police recovered approximately ₹2.30 lakh in cash, 11 Android mobile phones, one keypad mobile phone, one laptop, and ATM cards from 19 different banks. Preliminary investigations have revealed that both accused individuals were running a large-scale cricket bookie network.

The police had received a tip-off that online betting operations were being conducted from inside a car parked near the STG Canal culvert on Rawatsar Road. Acting on this information, a police team conducted a raid and arrested both accused individuals on the spot while they were inside the car. A case has been registered against the accused under sections related to gambling, as well as under the Information Technology (IT) Act.

Several startling facts have emerged during the preliminary interrogation. Police investigations revealed that the accused were “master operators” of cricket betting IDs and had sold betting IDs to approximately 5,000 users across various states. Several WhatsApp groups were discovered on the accused’s mobile phones, comprising a large number of members—including approximately 50 foreign mobile numbers—who were connected to the network.

The investigation also revealed that transactions amounting to approximately ₹45 lakh were conducted through the master betting IDs within a span of just 18 days. This suggests that the network of the entire syndicate is extensive and highly active. The police have also recovered financial records amounting to lakhs of rupees, along with data related to the betting operations, which is currently being scrutinised by a technical team.