The IND vs SA 2025 Eden Gardens test match suddenly took a different twist when the West Bengal Police discovered a betting scandal in the middle of the stadium. India-South Africa game turned into controversy when officers found a group of people operating an Ind vs SA betting racket in the live event.
IND vs SA Eden Gardens Cricket Betting Scandal
On the second day of Ind VS SA 2025 Eden Gardens officers noticed suspicious behavior in Block F1.
The arrested offenders in IND vs SA betting racket were:
- Altaf Khan (26) – Maharashtra
- Ankush Raj (22) – Bihar
- Pinkal Kumar Patel (39) – Gujarat
The accused trio was caught betting on real-time events on matches through mobile phones on activities like next wicket and session runs. Police seized multiple phones and uncovered incriminating betting app activity.
West Bengal Police Action
The anti-rowdy squad and Detective Department of the Kolkata Police, under a certain tip-off of illegal betting in Ind vs SA 2025 Eden Gardens led the operation. The crime has been registered in the Maidan Police Station, and the accused has been charged with the West Bengal Gambling and Prize Competition Act with cheating and conspiracy to commit a crime.
The investigators reported three of them were associated with a bigger cross-state betting network, and they may be connected to betting networks that work in various states.
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Pattern of repeated cricket betting scandals
This is not the first time the law-enforcement agencies have caught an interception of a cricket betting scandal in Eden Gardens. The same had happened before in the IPL Matches read more here IPL Fixing: A Deep Dive into Scandals and Bans.
- In IPL 2022, a small betting racket was caught with mobile phones being used to make live betting on match events.
- Back in 2019, the Kolkata Police took three guys into custody for operating a live betting operation right inside Eden Gardens during a Day-Night Test match between India and Bangladesh.
- In previous seasons of the IPL, people were even caught carrying betting slips and communicating with the interstate networks inside the stadium.
- The pattern of these incidents has been consistent in that organized betting rings attempt to capitalize on high-profile matches to gain real-time benefits.
The scandal of Ind vs SA 2025 Eden Gardens was a shock to many fans, particularly when it was happening in an attractive game such as India-South Africa Test match. Although the game went on as usual on the field, the headlines caused off-field commotion to the cricketing authorities and the Cricket Association of Bengal.
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Conclusion
The Ind vs SA 2025 Eden Gardens betting scandal is a clear indication of the fact that even the largest cricketing events are still being smeared with illegal gambling.
Although the West Bengal Police cricket unit responded promptly, it underscores the importance of increased vigilance and ensuring high security in the stadiums at all times.
Amit Mishra’s Take
Being a regular who has been reporting on cricket stories, this event came as a painful breakthrough to the realization that illegal betting is still hiding under the carpet, even during the largest games. The Ind vs SA 2025 Eden Gardens test was expected to be an ode to pure cricketing competition, but the off-field behavior took the spotlight once again.
My concern is the fact that these betting rackets have been so well organized and interstate. Although the police are moving at a very fast pace, it is obvious that the engine behind these networks is larger .
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