Guwahati: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Deepesh Bajoria, a resident of Zoo Road in Guwahati, in connection with a money-laundering probe into an alleged organised cricket-betting syndicate operating in Assam and other parts of the Northeast.
According to the agency, Bajoria was arrested on September 19 under Section 19(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. He was subsequently produced before the designated Special PMLA Court, CBI Court No. 3 in Guwahati, which remanded him to six days of ED custody.
The case stems from an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) registered by the ED on March 30, 2023. The probe was initiated on the basis of an FIR filed by the Crime Branch in Guwahati and related cases registered at Tinsukia and Panbazar police stations.
The underlying cases relate to alleged offences under Sections 120B, 406 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code, along with provisions of the Assam Game and Betting Act, 1970, in connection with alleged illegal cricket betting during Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons.
The ED has alleged that Bajoria operated as a principal bookie within the syndicate, allegedly using online betting platforms such as skyexchange.com and winner7.io, along with encrypted messaging applications, to facilitate betting transactions and settlements.
The agency further alleged that proceeds from the betting operations were routed through the bank account of M/s DRM Coke, a partnership firm in which Bajoria is a partner.
According to the ED, the account was shown as belonging to a non-operational firm but recorded credits of around Rs 28.12 crore and debits of approximately Rs 28.03 crore between April 19, 2022, and May 15, 2026. The agency alleged that the account was primarily used for routing funds linked to betting activities.
The ED had earlier conducted searches at Bajoria’s premises on May 26 under Section 17 of the PMLA. During the searches, officials said they recovered property-related documents, records concerning luxury vehicles and digital evidence from email accounts and mobile devices.
The agency claimed that evidence collected during the investigation, including statements recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA, indicated Bajoria’s alleged involvement in handling proceeds of crime.
The ED said its investigation is continuing, with officials examining the source and movement of the alleged proceeds, their utilisation and beneficiaries, along with other related financial transactions.