47 gamblers caught with over Rs 21L in Varanasi
Varanasi: During a joint raid by SOG-2 and Sigra police personnel at a closed house in Rathyatra area under Sigra police station, 47 gamblers were arrested while over Rs 21 lakh was recovered on Wednesday evening. The raid was conducted after information about gambling at a house named as Kusumkunj in Rathyatra and recce by SOG-2 team for past many days. Police seized Rs 19,53,455 from the gambling board and Rs 1,58,510 during personal searches, taking the total cash recovery to Rs 21,11,965. They also recovered 53 mobile phones, 52 playing cards and 10 new packs of cards. All arrested persons were booked under Sections 3/4 of the Public Gambling Act.
DCP (crime) Neetu Kadian, who led the operation, said that apart from taking legal action against the gamblers arrested, their credentials are also being verified. DCP said when the team cordoned the premises and found the accused playing cards in a room, they restricted them from making an exit. During questioning, the accused told police that landlord Vishal Singh charged money for allowing gambling in the house. Police said Roshan Kumar , Rafiq Khan and Vijay Jaiswal helped organise the gambling sessions and collected daily payments. Officials said verification work is on.
The cash, phones and cards recovered were sealed as per procedure and taken into police custody for further investigation.