Online betting probe (Jhansi): BJP leader Ashish Upadhyay in six-hour custody, ₹45 crore seized
Jhansi, May 26: The 
Jhansi police interrogation of jailed BJP leader Ashish Upadhyay, who is lodged in Jhansi and linked to one of the country and state’s most notorious betting hubs, has revealed massive financial transactions connected to online cricket betting, extortion, and robbery cases, exposing the deep nexus between crime and illegal betting operations.
Although the police did not achieve any significant success in the robbery and extortion cases, during the remand, the police recovered the accounts of an online betting network worth Rs 45 crore and froze the related amount.
It has been reported that Ashish Upadhyay was arrested and sent to jail on charges of transactions worth Rs 100 crore in an online betting syndicate operating in Royal City and in an online cricket betting case registered at the Navabad police station. Later, on May 9, he was released from jail in the Navabad police station case after receiving relief from the High Court. Soon after his release, the Sipri Bazaar police re-arrested him in the Royal City betting syndicate case.
Meanwhile, a case of extortion and robbery of cash was also filed against the BJP leader at the Premnagar police station. The next day, the police produced him in court, where he was sent to jail. To further investigate the case, the Premnagar police station sought police remand from the robbery court. The court granted remand on Monday, allowing police custody from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
After receiving remand, the Premnagar police took Ashish Upadhyay from the jail to the police station and interrogated him. During the interrogation, the police also took him to several locations. During this time, the accused provided the police with eight mobile phones, passbooks, checkbooks, and other documents related to online cricket betting.
When the police examined the bank accounts, they revealed records of transactions totaling approximately ₹45 crore. Following this, the funds in the relevant accounts were immediately frozen. However, the police did not recover any cash or other items in the robbery and extortion case.
Premnagar Police Station in-charge Inspector Tulsiram Pandey stated that important documents related to online betting and records of transactions worth crores of rupees were recovered from the accused. The investigation into the case is ongoing.
