Ahmedabad police have successfully cracked a massive cricket betting and ‘dabba trading’ scam valued at Rs2,000 crore. The State Monitoring Cell team arrested Deepak Thakkar, a prominent bookie, in Dubai. Thakkar, originally from Deesa, was allegedly managing the entire betting racket from his base in Dubai.
Thakkar has been charged with multiple offenses, including fraud, forgery, conspiracy, and violations under the IT Act. His arrest followed a Red Corner Notice issued by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The 43-year-old, hailing from Babara village in Deesa Taluka of Banaskantha, operated the betting scheme using a ‘dabba trading’ application. The investigation revealed that money was funneled to Dubai through hawala channels.
To date, the police have apprehended 35 additional suspects linked to the Madhavpura betting case. The Prevention of Crime Branch (PCB) initially raided Madhavpura, exposing Gujarat’s largest cricket betting and ‘dabba trading’ scam.
However, due to the questionable actions of the former Police Inspector of PCB, Taral Bhatt, the investigation was transferred to the State Monitoring Cell. Previously, two other suspects, Parth Doshi and Dhaval Patel, were arrested in connection with the case. The police are now compiling evidence against Thakkar for presentation in court.