Vijayawada: 

Prominent bookies from Ayodhyanagar, Bawajipet, Chittinagar, Kothapet and Satyanarayanapuram, many of whom have pending cases against them, have relocated fearing police action. According to reports, the main bookie from Ayodhyanagar has already moved to Bengaluru, and his family locked their house and left the area. Two years ago, this bookie was found to have strong links with Mumbai betting gangs and also maintained close ties with Bawajipet bookies.

 With the onset of the IPL season, the once-active betting gangs in Vijayawada have shifted their base to Bengaluru and Goa to evade police radar.

Sources reveal that several of these bookies are now staying in Goa, posing as tourists while running the betting racket in the background. They have strategically appointed sub-bookies in various parts of Vijayawada to keep the operations running.

Betting Goes Underground

The main bookies maintain strong connections with traders and punters in the Chittinagar, One Town and Governorpet areas. Small traders reportedly place bets on every over and even every ball. The rise of betting apps has made transactions quick, secret and almost impossible to detect.

Though the police have increased vigil on the suspected locations in Vijayawada, they admit that tracking the operations has become difficult as the main players are now out of the city.

"Just because the bookies are not here, doesn't mean betting has stopped in Vijayawada," a police officer said, adding that unless the kingpins are caught, the betting racket remains "like water flowing under the carpet".

Gone are the days of betting boards and phone lines. In the past, police could track betting operations through mobile numbers and call records. But now, the entire system has shifted to apps, making it harder to trace. Special groups are formed within these apps where bets are placed discreetly.

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