Out on bail, BJP leader held in another IPL betting racket

Jhansi: After staying for 12 days under judicial custody in Jhansi jail and subsequently securing bail, the moment BJP leader and director, UP Cooperative Bank, Ashish Upadhyay was released from prison on Wednesday afternoon he was immediately taken into custody in connection with another betting racket unearthed recently.

Upadhyay was arrested on May 2 after his name surfaced in a Rs 100 crore IPL betting racket which was cracked by Jhansi police under the 'Operation 720'. He and seven other persons, including husbands of two sitting municipal councilors, were absconding, but he was later arrested in New Delhi.

On May 8, during a raid in a posh colony, two women were arrested in another high end IPL betting racket in which five more names, including that of Upadhyay and a UP police constable Rajat Singh, had surfaced. Rajat, who was member of a special operation group (SOG) team, was under suspension after he was jailed in connection with the killing of an elderly person in a reckless driving case. His services were terminated after his name cropped up in the racket.

SSP, Jhansi, BBGTS Murthy said, "Ashish has been taken into custody because of his involvement in another betting racket." He said that, so far, around 30 persons have been arrested in various betting rackets in the district, while police have been able to either seize huge money, jewellery and virtual coins worth around Rs 42 crores. He added that the police had launched a month-long round the clock operation, named as Operation 720, to unearth the betting rackets in the district. Now, the operation will continue till the IPL matches are going on, he added.