Raigarh Police have arrested six people in Goa as part of an investigation into an alleged online IPL betting network linked to offshore betting IDs and hawala transactions.
The operation was carried out at a rented villa near Candolim Beach, where police said the accused were managing betting accounts, digital transactions and real-time cricket wagering activity connected to cities in Chhattisgarh.
The arrested individuals were identified as Amit Mittal, Mohit Somani, Prakash Wadhwani, Akash Motwani, Rahul Khandelwal alias Babu and Sulabh Khandelwal alias Chhota Babu.
Investigators said the group received betting IDs from Dubai-based handlers before distributing them to local agents and players. Police also said the network appeared to operate through a layered structure, with larger handlers supplying IDs to smaller operators for commission-based activity.
The case began after earlier arrests in Raigarh involving Karan Chaudhary alias Karan Agrawal, Pushkar Agrawal and Sunil Agrawal.
Information gathered during questioning led cyber cell officers and Kotwali police to trace activity across Raigarh, Raipur, Sakti and Kharsia before locating the Goa property.
Police seized 10 mobile phones and digital records during the raid. Officials alleged that some of the accused attempted to destroy phones and documents after learning of the police operation.
Investigators are examining whether the seized devices show links to additional operators, shell accounts or wider interstate networks.
Police said preliminary evidence pointed to hawala transactions, including coded financial details and currency note serial numbers allegedly shared through mobile applications.
The case also reflects the continuing use of offshore-linked betting systems in India, where illegal cricket betting networks often rely on agent-led ID distribution, mule accounts and encrypted communication channels.
Police said the structure showed similarities to the Mahadev betting app case, in which Enforcement Directorate investigations previously alleged that Dubai-based handlers used franchise-style panels to create betting IDs, enrol users and move proceeds through informal financial channels.
India’s enforcement environment has tightened further following the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025 and accompanying 2026 rules, which came into force this month and created stricter controls around online money gaming, advertising and payment facilitation.
Earlier this month, GGI reported on a separate enforcement pattern involving the Goa casino vessel MV Deltin Royale and IPL-linked betting cases in Delhi and Jhansi.
The raid took place in Goa, India’s main regulated casino market, although the case concerns alleged illegal online cricket betting rather than licensed casino gaming
