Illegal gambling is a serious subject which should not be underestimated as it damages the community’s well-being. This Thursday witnessed a police raid of a farmhouse in the Mehrauli neighborhood in the South West district of Delhi, India unearthing the illicit operation of a gambling den equipped with a wide range of devices and gaming tables being used at the moment of the raid.
In its essence, the den had been transformed into a casino venue of sorts and during the time of the action people were placing wagers and utilizing the machines available. Farm #11, Green Meadows in Satbari was the location investigated by the police team which was previously informed of a potential illegal gambling operation happening at it. After they received the signal, Delhi Police made sure that the allegations are true and proceeded with the raid which led to impressive results, as players were caught red-handed.
Some twelve people were present on site at the moment of the action and among them, there was also a woman. Dinesh Kumar was identified as the kingpin behind the criminal organization and he was arrested together with the remaining eleven gambling enthusiasts present on site during the raid taking place around 1 a.m. Some of the individuals arrested for participation in the illegal activities were identified as local businessmen taking advantage of the illicit gambling den and the gaming offerings it provided them with.
Others were local residents participating in the gaming activities for their own benefit. According to the information issued following the investigation conducted, Sunita Lama was specially employed for the position of card dealer and assisting the kingpin so that operation progressed smoothly. She is originally from Goa but has relocated to Delhi just for the purposes of the gambling den.
Delhi Ilegal Gambling Raids Set to Continue
The entire scheme had a significant organization established and the chips distribution was subjected to a detailed register in order to maintain quality levels high. A total of 2,300 playing chips have been seized during the operation, as well as some Rs10,000 (US$142.50) which were found on the premises of the farmhouse.
It should be taken into account that each of the chips amounted to some Rs500. Playing cards which were used at the time of the raid were recovered as well. Even though gambling regulations in India are quite lax and casino operators make the best of the situation there are put in, the field is still subjected to some oversight by the authorities. Casinos are allowed to operate only in the states of Goa, Daman, and Sikkim for the moment and they have been developing their business with significant success.
Gambling in India has seen quite the development as the authorities put ongoing efforts to provide the public with competitive offerings. According to the Delhi Public Gambling Act of 1955, the Union Territory of Delhi is subjected to strict regulations and penalties for everyone caught conducting gambling operation or participating in such. Games involving luck are considered illegal which is why the skill-base Rummy is enjoying quite the popularity across the Indian states and is legal.
Lottery games and participating in them are also allowed for residents of Delhi. Penalties for those managing gambling dens and organizations are listed as offenses by the Gambling Act. This is not the first raid in India since the beginning of August, as there is a crackdown in progress and last week the regions of Mumbai, as well as Thane witnessed two operations investigating on gaming dens.
As a result, more than 70 people in total related in a way to the illegal operations of Matka and Teen Patti gambling were arrested. Tip-offs have been triggering the investigations and more of them are expected to be registered in the upcoming weeks.
