Police bust illegal gambling racket in Indian capital, 21 arrested
As many as 21 people were arrested after Delhi Police’s Crime Branch busted a gambling racket worth ₹15.1 lakh (around $18,200) in East Delhi’s Mandawali area. The arrested individuals included Vinay Rai, 37, identified as the organiser of the illegal gambling operation.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Satish Kumar said police received information about a clandestine gambling den operating on the second floor of a premises in Mandawali, a locality in Delhi, the national capital of India. A team led by Inspector Praveen Swami was formed to investigate the matter.
“The operation carried out in the intervening night of March 10-11 resulted in the immediate arrest of all individuals present,” DCP Kumar said.
During the raid, police recovered ₹15 lakh (around $18,100) in cash, eight decks of playing cards, and detailed betting records maintained in three diaries. An FIR has been registered under Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the . Officials are now probing whether the racket was linked to a larger gambling syndicate and are also investigating the kingpin’s connections.
Previous gambling rackets in Delhi
Earlier this week, Delhi Police arrested 11 people after busting an illegal betting racket in Govindpuri. The operation was led by Ashok Kumar alias Kale (55), who ran the syndicate along with his son Sanju and nephew Rohit Gulati.
According to police, the gang placed bets on numbers for games, with Kumar personally managing operations without intermediaries. Acting on a tip-off, officers raided two locations in Govindpuri, recovering ₹83,000 (around $1,000) in cash along with other betting materials.
During interrogation, Kumar admitted to running the betting racket after suffering financial losses in his departmental store business, an official said. Police also confirmed that he had previous cases registered under the .
In another recent case, Delhi Police’s Crime Branch dismantled a cricket betting syndicate in Karampura, arresting three individuals and recovering over ₹22 lakh (around $26,500).
The accused, identified as Manish Sahani (42), Yogesh Kukreja (31), and Suraj (24), were allegedly betting on the South Africa- New Zealand Champions Trophy semi-final match held in Lahore, Pakistan, on 5 March 2025.
Police are continuing investigations into these illegal gambling networks as part of their crackdown on betting rackets in the city.
