The Pimpri Chinchwad police have charged three men for taking bets online for an Indian Premier League (IPL) T-20 cricket match.

The Pimpri Chinchwad crime squad received a tip-off last week that a group of men were acccepting digital wagers for the IPL game.

Police raided a spot in Akurdi and arrested three men after an altercation; an officer from the squad explained “the trio abused the policemen and also tried to push them in an attempt to escape from the spot."

Following their arrest, one more offence has been registered due to the abuse the police faced during the raid.

The suspects have now been booked under the India Penal Code, Indian Telegraph Act, Epidemic Diseases Act and Maharashtra Covid-19 rule.

Reports from India say the main bookie, from Chembur in Mumbai, is believed to be on the run.

The Pimpri Chinchwad police have had to arrest a number of individuals over illegal betting recently, with the area hit heavily with illegal betting rackets all over the city.

Last month, the team had to arrest 33 bookies for accepting online bets on the India vs England one-day international match.

Earlier in the year, the police had recovered cash and gambling equipment after raiding an online lottery and video game parlous near a railway station.