Special Correspondent
Pune – Four individuals have been arrested by the Wanwadi Police in Pune for engaging in online betting on horse races held at the Mumbai Racecourse. The police have seized mobile devices and racing books worth around ₹55,000 from the accused.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Mehmood Ibrahim Shaikh, Faiz Mehmood Shaikh (29, both residents of Fatimanagar, Wanwadi), Chand Shamshuddin Shaikh (29, resident of Wanwadi), and Akbar Anwar Khan (46, resident of Camp). A case has been registered against them under the Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act.
Police constable Kamble received a tip-off about large-scale online betting being conducted on horse races in Mumbai. Acting on this information, and under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police Dr. Rajkumar Shinde, Senior Inspector Satyajit Adamane, Sub-Inspector Dhanaji Tone, and their team raided a flat in the Fatimanagar area.
During the raid, Faiz, Chand, and Akbar were found placing bets via their mobile phones. Upon further questioning, Faiz revealed that his father Mehmood was managing the overall betting operations. All four individuals were taken into custody from the premises.
The police seized several mobile phones and racing books used for betting. Investigations revealed that online horse race betting is illegal, and Mehmood was handling all transactions related to the betting operations. The payments were made to the bettors after the races concluded, typically every Monday, and all transactions were conducted online via mobile phones.
Further investigation is underway under the supervision of Inspector Satyajit Adamane.
