|
|
|
|
|
100 CRORE BETTING ON INDOPAK SERIES
By M H AHSAN
As the Men in Blue gear up to face their archrival Pakistan, satta market in the country is hotting up with heavy bets on the forthcoming Indo-Pak series. According to local bookies, the clash of neighbours on the field will decide the fate of around Rs 100 crore at stake. Others put the figure much higher and claim the involvement of cross border bookies in fixing the odd-o-meter.
"Whether Sourav will be able to face Shoaib's short-pitched deliveries will decide both — Ganguly's future and the luck of those who have betted on the duel. Though the equation is tilted towards the Rawalpindi Express, some die-hard fans of the Bengal Tiger are hoping for the reversal of their hero's fortune as well as theirs," says Sudhir Mishra, a satta racketeer, who runs his business from Super Market, Connaught Place.
"As much as Rs 50 crore is at stake on Sourav Ganguly's career," he informs, adding that the satta market is only revolving around cricket and with the test series round the corner the odd-o-meter is already brimming with numbers.
"Such is the craze that people are betting on every possible aspect of the series. Be it Ganguly being bowled by Shoaib, Sachin being tamed by Pak pacemen, Inzamam outscoring Sachin, Harbhajan versus Kaneria, and Mohammed Yousuf outshining Rahul Dravid. And also, who will hit the maximum number of sixes, Afridi or Dhoni. People have betted anywhere from rupee 1 to Rs 1 lakh," informs Nadeem Sultan, a bookie from Old Delhi.
Sultan, who claims to have contacts in Karachi and Lahore, is most popular among bookies. "Sultan is in close contact with his counterparts in Pakistan and is reportedly managing around Rs 50 crore," says Hanuman Singh, an area constable who has put Rs 100 on Dhoni vs Afridi.
Bookies claim that not only routine gamblers but many educated and well-to-do people are also trying their luck. "Most of my clients are college students who have staked big money on their favourite stars," says Satish Mehra, a bookie.
With the money set to change hands in the dark alleys of the city, the men in khaki feign ignorance about such activities.
"We have no clue about the betting in the wake of forthcoming Indo-Pak cricket matches. Since these bookies operate from obscure places and the whole process is carried out through a complex code language, it becomes difficult for us to trace them. But as soon as we come to know about their modus operandi, we will take strict action," says DCP (crime).
|
|
|
 NEWS GALLERY
|
|
|
|
|
