Photo Courtesy: nenews
Guwahati: Federal agents locked up Deepesh Bajoria on September 19. The Enforcement Directorate Guwahati Zonal Office-I cuffed the resident under Section 19(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. He stands accused of running an illegal betting syndicate during Indian Premier League matches across Assam and the northeast.
Investigators trace this probe back to a March 30, 2023, filing. It originated from a 2021 Guwahati Crime Branch FIR, alongside Tinsukia and Panbazar police cases. The charges involve criminal conspiracy, cheating, and breach of trust under the Indian Penal Code and the 1970 Assam Game and Betting Act.
Bajoria allegedly acted as the syndicate's principal bookie. He funneled bets through www.skyexchange.com and www.winner7.io, relying on encrypted messaging to handle transactions. The money flowed through M/s DRM Coke, a partnership firm where Bajoria holds a stake. Records show Rs 28.12 crore in credits and Rs 28.03 crore in debits between April 19, 2022, and May 15, 2026. The agency stated: "The material collected, read together with the statements recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA, 2002, established that Bajoria has knowingly engaged in the acquisition, possession, use, transfer and projection of proceeds of crime as untainted property."
A May 26 search of Bajoria's home yielded property deeds and luxury vehicle logs. Digital data from his emails and phones helped seal the case. Discrepancies between his testimony and the paper trail pushed the investigation forward. The ED is now tracking the ultimate beneficiaries of the scheme. Following his arrest, a judge at CBI Court No. 3 in Guwahati granted the ED six days to interrogate him.
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