When it comes to illegal gambling across India the local authorities have been determined to subject the field to an all-encompassing gambling crackdown and the elimination of all unlawful gaming dens in operation. As many as five policemen are now transferred to the Palghar control room and are going to be interrogated on account of their lax approach towards criminals, leading to the eventual resuming of gaming activities at the den.
Gambling raids are regular occurrence across India since they provide the authorities with immediate results as well as establish the needed level of control over the region. In areas where gaming is not permitted by the law, such as everywhere outside of Goa, Sikkim, and Daman, gambling raids are regularly performed following tip-offs coming from residents of the communities.
They are considered a reliable source since they keep a close eye on the latest happenings in it and know the exact location of a gambling den, as well as the kingpins overseeing their operation.
Problematic Situations Arise during Raid
As it turns out, sometimes measures are not as strict as they are supposed to be and players have the chance to resume their gaming activities, such as the situation which took place at the beginning of this month. It could be recalled that the first days of September brought a hit on illegal gaming in the state of Maharashtra, where Krishna Resort on the highway between Mumbai and Ahmedabad was raided by a team of experienced police officers.
Those were Senior Inspector Bharat Jadhav, Assistant Police Inspector Sudhir Dayarkar, as well as constables Sachin Chavan, Umesh Patil, and Vijay Chavan. However, the first attempt at putting all gambling to rest proved to be unsuccessful. As many as four individuals were arrested at the time of the raid as they were in direct breach of the existing Bombay Gambling Act and performing gaming activities. They were later fined and were free to go.
According to the report issued after the end of the raid, some Rs6,000 in cash available on site was also confiscated. When the cat is away, the mice will play proved to be true in this case, since three out of the four criminals who were just let off decided to return to their previous occupation and resumed gaming at the resort. Following an immediate tip-off by informants, a second raid was performed, but what should be taken into account is that the Valiv police were not aware of the operation.
Second More Successful Attempt Made
Round Two of the investigation on site around 2 a.m. turned out being more successful than the first one and there were people from cities to the liking of Udaipur, Baroda, Kheda, and Surat wagering at the time of the arrival. As many as 64 of them were arrested since they were trespassing the established regulations in the region. Over the span of the raid, the authorities succeeded in seizing Rs863,250 (US$1,211) in cash available on site.
What is more important, however, is that the police officers were supposed to perform the investigation in a manner that leaves no room for second law breaching, unfortunately, failing to do so. This is the reason why the five policemen are now going to be subjected to detailed investigation. Their performance raises questions regarding the success of previous police raids across the country, as well as the actual efficiency of such raids. Gaming regulation across India have proven to be sometimes questionable.
It should be taken into account that the field does not have a significant set of rules which aims to regulate and protect all parties involved in it. The year 1992 saw the anticipated amendment of the Public Gambling Act issued in 1976 and this legalized gambling offerings across the state. Even though there have been plans for framework improvement, the first days of July brought Goa’s Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s official position.
He stated that the regulation in its current state is fully capable of providing the casino field with the needed restrictions and should, therefore, remain unchanged.
In other news, such investigations continue with full throttle, as this week saw the arrest of 16 individuals gaming illegally in an Amritsar hotel resort. More than Rs100,000 was seized from the location during the operation. More raids are expected to take place across India as informants continue providing the police with the exact location of gambling dens.
