Berhampur, May 1: In a major crackdown on illegal online betting, Berhampur police have arrested two accused—Rohit Mohanty and Badal Gouda-and unearthed a betting racket operating in the Town and Badabazar police station areas.
The action was initiated on April 29 at around 9:30 PM, when a police patrol team detected suspicious activity. Acting on credible inputs about illegal betting being conducted at a mobile shop in Sai Complex, Gandhi Nagar, police conducted a raid and caught Rohit Mohanty (32), a resident of Baikuntha Nagar, red-handed.
Police said Mohanty was actively engaged in online betting through the “Sky Exchange” platform using mobile devices. He allegedly facilitated betting by distributing user IDs and passwords to multiple individuals via WhatsApp.
During interrogation, Mohanty revealed the involvement of another individual, Raj Kishore Samal, suspected to be the kingpin of the network. Police have also frozen nearly ₹17 lakh from three bank accounts linked to the illegal transactions.
Mohanty was arrested on Thursday and produced before a court. Further investigation is underway to trace other members of the racket.
In a parallel operation, police also conducted a raid near the Binayak Acharya College pond under Badabazar police limits after receiving reliable information about ongoing betting activities in the area.
