The Khanna Police in Ludhiana district, Punjab, have frozen ₹42.3 lakh stashed in multiple bank accounts belonging to four individuals involved in an international IPL 2026 betting syndicate. This action follows an initial crackdown on April 12, 2026, where the online network was first dismantled. Investigators discovered ₹42.3 lakh in the bank accounts of the accused, which is believed to be proceeds from illegal cricket betting.The four arrested individuals are residents of Khanna: Dinesh Chhabra, Karan Chhabra, Mahinder Singh, and Naresh Kumar. Investigations revealed an international connection, with the suspected kingpin, Rajiv Kumar, allegedly operating the racket from Dubai. At the time of the first raid, police seized ₹44,000 in cash, 11 mobile phones, and a laptop used to manage the betting operations. For the first time in an illegal betting case, police have invoked Section 112 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which covers "petty organised crime" and carries a potential sentence of up to seven years in jail. The Khanna Police have recommended the Enforcement Directorate (ED) take over the probe to investigate the money laundering trail and international transactions.
Wider betting crackdowns in 2026
This bust is part of a broader national effort to curb gambling during the season. The "national effort" to curb IPL 2026 betting is a coordinated crackdown involving central government ministries, state police forces, and federal agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED). This surge in enforcement follows the enactment of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA) 2025, which effectively ended the legal "gray area" by banning all real-money online games and wagers.
Six people, including a local political office-bearer, were arrested for a similar racket in Mathura. In Nagpur, the authorities seized ₹40 lakh in cash hidden in food containers during a raid on another betting syndicate. The Cyber Crime Police in Goa arrested six individuals from different states operating via online apps. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has blocked approximately 8,400 illegal betting websites and apps. Just before the 2026 season began, a fresh batch of 300 platforms was taken down.
