Police raided a cricket betting den in Wathoda and arrested four people involved in the betting. Despite finding two laptops and 28 mobile phones used for accepting bets, the police did not charge the suspects under the Information Technology Act (IT Act).

The head of the operation, Nishant Chaudhary from Badkas Chowk, has escaped. His associates—Pintu alias Moreshwar Bhaik (48) from Badkas Chowk, Arvind Haribhau Mudgal (48) from Ashirvad Nagar, Vishal Keshav Solanki (34) from Telugupura, and Roshan Eknath Nandanwar (30) from Tandapeth, Pachpaoli—were arrested.

The arrested individuals worked for Nishant Chaudhary, who was running a cricket betting racket for IPL matches in the Wathoda Police Station area. Acting on a tip-off, the Crime Branch Unit-3 conducted the raid on Thursday night, catching the suspects in the act. They seized documents related to betting, 28 mobile phones, LED screens, a laptop, a landline box, an internet dongle, a mobile network booster, a printer, a refrigerator, and Rs 6.38 lakh in cash.

Sources say Nishant and his associates are well-known bookies in central Nagpur, with many locals betting with them. Nishant initially operated from his own premises but recently moved the operation to Wathoda. Despite using mobile phones and technology for betting, the IT Act was not applied. This allowed the suspects to quickly obtain bail, as the case was only registered under the Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act. Nishant remains on the run, trying to avoid capture.