NOIDA: Seven bookies were arrested by the UP Special Task Force (UP-STF) from the 11th floor of an upscale residential society in Noida on Friday evening.The police seized Rs 27 lakh in cash, four laptops, two landline telephones, two cordless phones, one Airtel dongle, a calculator and 16 mobile phones from their possession. The bookies were arrested from Flat No. 1101, Tower Aster 6, of Supertech Emerald in Sector 93A.A case of betting has been registered at the Phase II police station.Raj Kumar Mishra, DSP Noida-STF, said the police received information that a group of people were involved in IPL betting at the location. A team of officers from UP-STF and Noida Phase II police station started working on the issue. "After checking the veracity of the information we conducted a raid and arrested seven persons from the spot," he said.The mastermind has been identified as Rohit Gupta, a resident of Kailash Puri in Bulandshahr. He had got the flat on rent in Supertech Emerald in Sector 93 two months ago. The other six accused have been identified as Ankur Govil, a resident of Teachers Colony in Bulandshahr, Samuel Jacob, a resident of Kavi Nagar in Ghaziabad, Neeraj Gupta, of Panchsheel Colony in Bulandshahr, Ashok Garg of Gorakhpur, Rahul Chana, of Chaudhury Enclave Ghaziabad, Akash of Kavi Nagar in Ghaziabad.The accused functioned from a duplex house. They used the lower floor for residential purposes while the upper one was used for betting. The investigating officers said the accused used an international site — http://www.betfair.com — for the betting. The used to record the conversation/communication of other bookies and maintain a record in laptops. They used to bet on each match, and sometimes on each over and ball and run. The bookies used to collect money the following day from the people who lost. The investigating officers said the accused has networks in Delhi, NCR and other parts of the country. The bookies used to contact potential bookies online and fix a rate for certain matches. They also connected the potential bookies through mobile phones and emails.A security guard at the society said that Gupta had recently shifted to the flat. "He used to come in SUVs and sometimes in BMW. A few of his friends frequently visited him. But we had no idea that they were involved in such a dubious business," the guard said, on condition of anonymity. Police said a case of betting has been registered in Phase II Police Station.

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