The Goshamahal police dismantled an online betting operation in Begum Bazar, leading to arrest of a 59-year-old man on Friday. Identified as Venugopal Sharma, also known as Idly Venu, he was taken into custody during a raid at his residence in Narayan Bhavan.
Authorities acted on credible intelligence regarding illegal betting activities emanating from location. During the operation,police seized a mobile phone believed to be used for facilitating bets and ₹3,000 in cash. Venugopal was reportedly found managing betting operations
Upon interrogation, he confessed to orchestrating cricket and racecourse betting under alias ‘Godavari Associates’ and admitted to collecting funds from bettors through intermediaries . Investigators noted that he had deleted WhatsApp conversations related to the betting scheme in an effort to hide evidence.
Described as a habitual offender, Venugopal Sharma has a history of involvement in several betting-related cases previously registered at both the Goshamahal and Charminar police stations. A case has been filed against him, and authorities are continuing their investigation to uncover additional individuals linked to this betting network .
