In Moradabad region, Over 100 govt teachers suspected to be part of IPL betting racket: Police
A group of over 100 government teachers of Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad region are suspected to be involved in betting on the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches.
Police sources confirmed the government teachers of Moradabad, Bijnor and Hapur districts have come under scanner based on mobile call details and betting records maintained by the betting racket operators and further probe into the matter is in progress.
'The suspicion grew while exploring the nexus involved in the IPL betting racket was unearthed in the city on April 11 recently,' confirmed Kuldeep Kumar Gupta, circle officer, Civil Lines, Moradabad.
He said among the nine people arrested from a flat in Civil Lines while operating the betting racket that day, three were government teachers.
They were identified as Dharmendra Kumar, in-charge of Bilari block Ibrahimpur Composite School, Manoj Arora, an assistant teacher in the same school and Sushil Chaudhary alias Surendra, the headmaster of Vashunapur primary school under Dilari block—all in Moradabad.
A police official privy to the investigation said the role of many government teachers posted in different schools of Moradabad came under the scanner as their names were found written in the record maintained by the betting racket operators.
Moreover, the call record details of those arrested suggested that these suspected teachers were in constant touch during the IPL matches and suspected of being involved in betting.
The cop further said assistant teacher Manoj Arora is the main connecting link between a large group of teachers with the betting operators.
He said Arora initially got involved in the betting racket in connivance with a group of traders and businessmen of Moradabad, including Deepak Gagneja alias Titu, Vicky Chhabra, Kamal Chhabra, Hemant Arora, Rohit Gupta and Ankur Rana alias Abhinav.
He thereafter allegedly added Sushil Chaudhary, who has been the president of students' union of a local college in 2005, and Dharmendra Kumar, who got a group of teachers posted in different schools of Bijnor, Hapur and Moradabad involved in betting.
He said the bail applications of six businessmen and Manoj Arora was rejected by local sessions and district court on Monday as the police booked them under Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita sections 112 (petty organised crime) and 318 (4) (cheating) along with slapping charges under appropriate sections of the Gambling Act.
He said the FIR was lodged against nine arrested and eleven other named accused, including the alleged kingpin of the racket, Kaushal Kapoor, and his accomplices Vipin Juyal, Amit Nagpal, Kamaldeep Nagpal, Vishal Tuteja, Ashu Rastogi, Rachit Rastogi and Sumit Sethi alias Sunny.
The cop said the police are further probing their links with bookies operating a nationwide nexus while sitting in Delhi and Kolkata.
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