Police have arrested three men for running an illegal sports betting racket. Bajra Prakash Lama, 36, and Bidhyut Prakash Lama, 30, of Sindhupalchok, and Umesh Karki, 33, of Ramechhap, were arrested from two separate places in the Capital on Tuesday, following a tip-off that they were organising betting over the ongoing ICC World Cup cricket matches.Police also confiscated Rs 100,000 from the trio.

They were sent to the Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu, on Thursday for further legal procedures, SSP Sahakul Bahadur Thapa, chief of the Metropolitan Crime Division, told the Post.

Preliminary investigation has shown that the three men had also run illegal betting during the recently concluded Indian Premier League and UEFA Champions League.

“They used to run their operation through phone calls.

The bets were placed for or against a team predicting their loss or win. People would also wager over a draw,” SP Kedar Dhakal, spokesperson of the division, said.

Police believe illegal betting is being run as an organised business throughout the year over various international sports. “Many people wager on games knowing that it’s illegal. We are also investigating to find out about the bettors,” said Dhakal.

Clause 125 of the Criminal Code, 2074, mentions betting or any kind of gambling as illegal. Anyone found guilty for the first time under the provision is liable to face a jail sentence of up to three months and a fine of up to Rs 30,000.

Similarly, if an individual is arrested twice under similar charges, the individual will face one year jail sentence and a fine of up to Rs 50,000.

If arrested more than twice, the individual will face a punishment of an extra three month in jail and Rs 10,000 fine in addition to the previous sentence.

Last year in May, the Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu, had arrested former national team footballer and Coach Anjan KC along with five others on charges of illegal betting.

Similarly, in June last year, the division had arrested Nathmal Agrawal (Nagraj) alias Amrit, on charges of illegal betting.