Bookies in Calcutta arrested

The detective department of the Calcutta Police arrested three bookies from their flat in Central Calcutta on Saturday night. Four telephones with STD facilities and two cell phones were found in their possession. Along with these items, a betting sheet and a CD were also confiscated. The three arrested were Raju, Paban and Anjan Saraf.

Giving this information at a press conference in Calcutta on Sunday, the chief of the Detective Department Narayan Ghosh stated that the CD had a large number of phone numbers stored in them. He also added that some of these numbers belonged to people in Mumbai and Delhi. "We are trying to ascertain the identity of the numbers," said Ghosh. He also added, "We have asked the cell phone company to whom the two phones were subscribed to provide us with a detailed account of the calls that were made. That way, we will be able to come out with the names of the people who were involved in the betting."

The three told Ghosh that they were conducting bets on the Pakistan-Sri Lanka series and the England-West Indies series. However, they were also quick to add that they did not have contact with any cricketers. Talking about the raid, Ghosh said, "The search operation was carried out by one of our officers, Subhas Kirtaniya. When the flat was raided on Saturday evening, the West Indies-England match was on. Bets were being placed by customers over the phone. "We are yet to find out the amounts involved," said Ghosh.