Guwahati bookie arrested in alleged Rs 28-crore IPL betting syndicate case

The Enforcement Directorate arrested Guwahati resident Deepesh Bajoria in a money-laundering probe into an alleged cricket-betting syndicate. The agency alleged that a partnership firm's account linked to him recorded credits of Rs 28.12 crore and debits of Rs 28.03 crore

Guwahati: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Deepesh Bajoria, a resident of Zoo Road in Guwahati, in connection with a money-laundering investigation into an alleged organised cricket-betting syndicate operating across Assam and the wider northeastern region, officials said on Monday.

According to the agency, Bajoria was arrested on September 19 under Section 19(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. He was subsequently produced before the designated Special PMLA Court, CBI Court No. 3 in Guwahati, which remanded him to ED custody for six days.

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The investigation stems from an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) registered on March 30, 2023, based on an FIR lodged by the Crime Branch, Guwahati, and connected cases registered by Tinsukia and Panbazar police stations.

The underlying cases involve alleged offences under Sections 120B, 406 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code, along with provisions of the Assam Game and Betting Act, 1970, concerning illegal cricket betting during Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons.

The ED alleged that Bajoria acted as a principal bookie in the syndicate, using online betting platforms, including skyexchange.com and winner7.io, as well as encrypted messaging channels to facilitate betting transactions and settlements.

The agency said funds allegedly generated through the betting operations were routed through the bank account of partnership firm M/s DRM Coke, in which Bajoria is a partner.

According to the ED, the account, despite being represented as belonging to a non-operational firm, recorded credits of approximately Rs 28.12 crore and debits of around Rs 28.03 crore between April 19, 2022, and May 15, 2026.

The agency alleged that the account was primarily used to route betting-related funds.

Searches conducted at Bajoria’s premises on May 26 under Section 17 of the PMLA led to the recovery of property documents, luxury vehicle records and digital data from email accounts and mobile devices, the ED said.

The agency claimed that material gathered during the investigation, including statements recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA, indicated Bajoria’s alleged involvement in dealing with proceeds of crime.

The ED said it was continuing to investigate the source, movement, utilisation and beneficiaries of the funds, as well as other financial transactions.

Further investigation is underway.