LAHORE, March 22: Defence-A police arrested five bookies involved in betting on international cricket and seized 60-line telephone exchange, four LCDs and a large number of gambling books from a house in Defence Housing Authority on Thursday.

The suspects told police that they had received booking orders worth Rs6 million on Asia Cup final match between Pakistan and Bangladesh at the time of the raid.

Defence circle ASP Jahanzeb Khan said on receiving information a police team raided a two-kanal house in K-Block and found gambling stuff.

He said five suspects - Daleep Kumar of Ghotki, Zerb Ali Khan, Irfan Yousaf, Waqas and Mazhar - were taken into custody from the basement of the house.

The ASP said police investigations were under way.

He, however, quoted one of the suspects as having said that they had been betting on cricket matches for the last four months.

The ASP said it was quite strange that 60 PTCL lines were unearthed from one house and this couldn’t be possible without the connivance of the company staff.

Jahanzeb said police would also extend investigation to the PTCL staff.