Jhansi: After spending 12 days in judicial custody in Jhansi jail and subsequently securing bail, BJP leader and director of UP Cooperative Bank, Ashish Upadhyay, was released from prison on Wednesday afternoon. However, he was immediately taken into custody in connection with another betting racket that was recently unearthed.
Background of the Arrest
Upadhyay was initially arrested on May 2 after his name surfaced in a Rs 100 crore IPL betting racket, which was cracked by Jhansi police under 'Operation 720'. He and seven other individuals, including the husbands of two sitting municipal councilors, were absconding. He was later arrested in New Delhi.
Second Betting Racket
On May 8, during a raid in a posh colony, two women were arrested in another high-end IPL betting racket. Five more names surfaced in this case, including that of Upadhyay and a UP police constable, Rajat Singh. Rajat, who was a member of a Special Operation Group (SOG) team, was under suspension after being jailed in connection with the killing of an elderly person in a reckless driving case. His services were terminated after his name appeared in the racket.
Police Statement
SSP, Jhansi, BBGTS Murthy said, 'Ashish has been taken into custody because of his involvement in another betting racket.' He added that so far, around 30 persons have been arrested in various betting rackets in the district. Police have seized huge amounts of money, jewellery, and virtual coins worth around Rs 42 crores. He further stated that the police had launched a month-long round-the-clock operation, named Operation 720, to unearth betting rackets in the district. The operation will continue until the IPL matches are ongoing.
