1 CGHC010293882026 2026:CGHC:37982 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR MCRC No. 7035 of 2026 Imam Ahmed S/o Abdul Gani Aged About 44 Years R/o Rameshwar Nagar, Bhanpuri, P/s Khamatrai, District- Raipur (C.G.) --- Applicant versus State Of Chhattisgarh Through- P.S. Rajendra Nagar, Distt- Raipur Comminstrate (C.G.) --- Respondent For Applicant : Mr. Shikhar Agnihotri, Advocate For Respondent/State : Mr. Rohan Shukla, Panel Lawyer MCRC No. 7621 of 2026 Karan Pinjani Alias Kittu S/o Shri Nirmal Pinjani Aged About 28 Years R/o Pragati Vihar, Mahavir Nagar, Police Station- New Rajendranagar, Raipur, Tehsil And District- Raipur Chhattisgarh. ---Applicant Versus State Of Chhattisgarh Through Station House Officer, Police Station- New Rajendranagar, Raipur, Tehsil And District- Raipur Chhattisgarh. … Respondent (Cause title taken from Case Information System) VED PRAKASH DEWANGAN Digitally signed by VED PRAKASH DEWANGAN Date: 2026.08.31 12:02:21 +0530 2 For Applicant : Mr. Ayush Lal, Advocate For Respondent/State : Mr. Rohan Shukla, Panel Lawyer Hon'ble Shri Justice R avindra Kumar Agrawal Order on Board 24/08/2026 1. Since both these bail applications arise out of the same crime number and the same incident, they are being heard together and are decided by this common order. 2. These are the first bail applications of both the applicants. The MCrC No. 7035/2026 is filed by the accused Imam Ahmed and the MCrC No. 7621/2026 is filed by the accused Karan Pinjani @ Kittu, who have been arrested on 23.05.2026, in connection with Crime No. 191/2026, registered at Police Station New Rajendra Nagar, Raipur, for the offence under Sections 112 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 7 of Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2022. 3. The prosecution case, in brief, is that on 23.05.2026, while Sub- Inspector Pradeep Singh Chandel, accompanied by Constable Santosh Kanwar and carrying the investigation kit and laptop, was engaged in the investigation of another offence and had reached near Dronacharya School, he received secret information at about 8:50 p.m. that five persons were sitting in a white Kia car bearing registration No. CG-04- PB-4914 near Alaukik Dham on the Amlidih liquor shop road and were indulging in online cricket betting in connection with the ongoing IPL matches by placing and accepting bets involving monetary gain and loss through mobile phones. After informing the Station House Officer and 3 senior officers and obtaining oral instructions to conduct a raid, a raid was conducted at the indicated place. At the indicated place, a white Kia car was found parked near Alaukik Dham with four persons sitting inside, who disclosed their names as Saurabh Mukim, Karan Pinjani alias Kittu, Sheikh Asif and Imam Ahmad. Upon interrogation, they allegedly admitted their involvement in playing and facilitating online betting, whereafter searches were conducted. From Saurabh Mukim, two mobile phones were seized; from Karan Pinjani alias Kittu, two mobile phones and cash of Rs.12,220/-; from Sheikh Asif, one mobile phone and cash of Rs.33,000/-; and from Imam Ahmad, one mobile phone, while the Kia Seltos car bearing registration No. CG-04-PB-4914 was seized. After opening the seized mobile phones in the presence of witnesses and preparing pattern-lock proceedings, the police allegedly found links, IDs and records relating to online betting platforms, including ALL Panel Exchange, Nasib 7777 (ID 777rajU223), UNCLEBET9, JMDBET, GOLD24PRO, BIGEXCHANGE9 and OSHO777, and screenshots and printouts of the relevant data were taken and visual panchnamas prepared. 4. The accused persons were thereafter served notices under Section 94 of the BNSS to produce documents authorising the online betting activity, but they failed to produce such documents. The seized articles included mobile phones, screenshots of betting-related data, cash aggregating to Rs.45,220/- and the Kia Seltos car. Dehati Nalishi was recorded at the spot for offences under Section 7 of the Chhattisgarh Gambling Prohibition Act, 2022 and Section 112 of the BNS, and subsequently an FIR was registered. During investigation, accused 4 Saurabh Mukim allegedly made a memorandum statement stating that he, along with Sheikh Asif, Imam Ahmad and Karan Pinjani, was engaged in facilitating online cricket betting through various betting IDs and panels, including ALL Panel Exchange, Nasib 7777, Golden Exchange, BIGEXCHANGE9, OSHO777, GOLD24PRO, JMDBET, UNCLEBET9 and other online platforms, and that such IDs and panels had been supplied through persons identified as Kamal and Mukesh and through mobile numbers allegedly linked with persons located in Gurugram and Delhi, including Nos. 7024917439, 9872388349, 9279460500, 8951646234, 8448319627, 9812474123 and 9580632893; they obtained such IDs and panels through mobile contacts and operated the online betting activity while moving around in the aforesaid car. On the basis of the information regarding the location of the persons connected with the aforesaid mobile numbers, the ACCU team, acting through Sub-Inspector Mukesh Sori, conducted a raid and found Gurudev Singh alias Kaka, Rajiv Kumar, Bhairo Kumar, Ravindra Kumar and Sikandar Yadav, who allegedly admitted their role in providing betting IDs and participating in the online cricket betting operation. In the presence of witnesses Ravi Pandey and Harsh Sahu, mobile phones, laptops, ATM cards, passbooks, cheque books, notebooks, routers and SIM cards were seized from them on 24.05.2026; they were formally arrested on 25.05.2026 and remanded to judicial custody. The mobile phones and laptops seized from the accused persons are being sent to the FSL for examination, and the charge sheet has been filed. 5. Mr. Shikhar Agnihotri, learned counsel for the applicant Imam Ahmed (MCrC No. 7035/2026), would submit that the applicant is innocent and 5 has been falsely implicated in the present case. The prosecution case is based on the alleged seizure of electronic devices and other articles and the memorandum statements of the co-accused, and there is no legally admissible material to directly connect the applicants with the alleged online betting operation. The applicants were arrested only on the basis of the alleged disclosure made by co-accused Saurabh Mukim and the alleged recovery of certain electronic devices and documents from them. The applicants are neither the owners nor the operators of the alleged betting platforms, and no specific material has been collected to establish their direct involvement in accepting or facilitating bets. The electronic devices seized from the applicants are yet to be examined by the FSL, and, therefore, the prosecution allegations are still subject to investigation and verification. It would also be submitted that the applicant, Imam Ahmed, is in jail since 25.05.2026, the seized articles are already in the possession of the investigating agency, and further custodial interrogation is not required. The applicants are permanent residents of the addresses mentioned in the bail applications, and there is no likelihood of their absconding or tampering with the prosecution evidence. He would further submit that similarly situated co-accused Saurabh Mukim has already been released on bail by the learned trial Court vide order dated 18.06.2026 and another co-accused Gurudev @ Gurdev Singh @ Kaka has also been released by the learned trial Court on 06.07.2026, and the allegation against the present applicant is also similar. Therefore, the applicant may be enlarged on regular bail. 6. Mr. Ayush Lal, learned counsel appearing for the applicant Karan Pinjani @ Kittu (MCrC No. 7621/2026) would also submit that except for the 6 seizure of two mobile phones and cash amount of Rs.12,220/- from his possession, there is no material to show that he was either operating or managing any organised online betting network or that the seized cash was connected with the alleged betting activity. The alleged data recovered from the mobile phones is yet to be scientifically examined and verified by the FSL, and therefore, at this stage, the prosecution case against the applicant rests only upon unverified electronic material and the alleged statements of the co-accused. It would further be submitted that the applicant has been in custody since 23.05.2026, the investigation is complete, and the seized articles are already in the custody of the prosecution; hence, his further custodial detention is not necessary. The other similarly situated co-accused persons, namely Saurabh Mukim and Gurudev @ Gurdev @ Kaka, have been released on bail by the learned trial Court. Therefore, the applicant Karan Pinjani @ Kittu may also be released on bail. 7. Per contra, Mr. Rohan Shukla, learned counsel appearing for the State, opposes the submissions and would submit that there is prima facie material showing the active involvement of the applicants in an organised network of online cricket betting. On secret information, the police raided the place near Alaukik Dham, Amlidih, and apprehended the accused persons while they were sitting in a car bearing registration No. CG-04-PB-4914, which was allegedly being used for moving around and operating the online betting activity during the ongoing IPL matches. From the possession of the accused persons, several mobile phones and cash amounting to Rs.45,220/- were seized, and upon examination of the mobile phones in the presence of witnesses, various betting IDs, 7 links and panels, including ALL Panel Exchange, Nasib 7777, UNCLEBET9, JMDBET, GOLD24PRO, BIGEXCHANGE9 and OSHO777, along with other betting-related data and chats, were allegedly found. During investigation, accused Saurabh Mukim disclosed the names and involvement of other persons who were allegedly providing betting IDs and panels and were operating from different places, pursuant to which further raids were conducted and Gurudev Singh alias Kaka, Rajiv Kumar, Bhairo Kumar, Ravindra Kumar and Sikandar Yadav were apprehended, from whom mobile phones, laptops, ATM cards, passbooks, cheque books, notebooks, routers and SIM cards were seized. The investigation has, thus, revealed a wider network of persons allegedly engaged in facilitating online cricket betting, and the seized electronic devices are being subjected to forensic examination. 8. It is also submitted that the applicant, Imam Ahmed has one Criminal record of Crime No. 1253/2025, registered at P.S. Khamtarai, Raipur, for the offence under Section 3(2) of the C.G. Gambling Prohibition Act, 2022, the applicant Karan Pinjani @ Kittu has 03 Criminal record of Crime No. 210/2021, registered at P.S. New Rajendra Nagar, Raipur, under Section 4(a) of the Public Gambling Act, 1867, Crime No. 307/2019, registered at P.S. New Rajendra Nagar, Raipur, under Section 36(f) of the C.G. Excise Act, 1915, and Crime No. 218/2023, at P.S. New Rajendra Nagar, Raipur, under Section 294, 323, 506 of the IPC. Their criminal records makes their case distinguishable from the case of co- accused persons who have been granted bail by the learned trial Court. Therefore, considering the nature of the allegations, the material collected during the investigation, the alleged organised manner in which 8 the betting activities were being conducted and the possibility of the applicants influencing witnesses or hampering further investigation, the applicants are not entitled to be enlarged on bail. 9. I have heard learned counsel for the respective parties and perused the case diary and documents annexed with the bail applications. 10. Having heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the case diary, this Court finds that, prima facie, the material collected during investigation discloses the alleged involvement of the applicants in the organised activity of online cricket betting. The applicants were allegedly found along with other co-accused in the vehicle from which the betting operation was being conducted, and mobile phones, cash and other incriminating material were seized. The preliminary examination of the seized mobile phones allegedly revealed betting IDs, links, panels and other digital data, including money transaction details connected with online betting activities. Further, the investigation has disclosed the involvement of several other persons allegedly operating from different places and providing betting IDs and panels, pursuant to which further electronic devices and other articles have been seized. Considering the nature of the allegations, the prima facie material available on record, the alleged organised manner in which the offence was being committed, the larger network under investigation and the possibility of the applicants affecting the ongoing investigation or tampering with evidence, their criminal antecedents, this Court is not inclined to exercise its discretion in favour of the applicants for grant of regular bail. 9 11. Accordingly, both the bail applications of the applicants Imam Ahmad (MCrC No. 7035/2026) and Karan Pinjani @ Kittu (MCrC No. 7621/2026) are hereby rejected. Sd/- (Ravindra Kumar Agrawal) Judge ved