58 held at illegal casino in capital
Ahead of Diwali, Delhi
Police busted a gambling den and arrested 58people who were allegedly
playing casino from a hotel room in south Delhi's Ghitorni area on
Sunday night.
According to the police, Delhi and NCR based young
traders and businessmen were contacted through WhatsApp by the
organisers who invited them for gambling at a makeshift casino made in
the basement of a hotel on Mehrauli-Gurugram road.most popular casinos
During the late-night raid, cops arrested 58 people who were involved
in gambling. Police also recovered Rs 11 lakh and 6,000 plastic tokens
(used for placing bets in a casino) worth `84 lakh and five specially
designed poker tables. They have also seized a large quantity of illicit
liquor and hukkah from the hotel.
"We received inputs about a
makeshift casino running from the basement of Imperial hotel in Ghitorni
area. Several teams were made who conducted the raid. We cross-checked
the information and verified the guest entries before conducting the
raid," said Devendra Arya, DCP of south-west Delhi.
Arya said that
FIR has been registered and 58 people were arrested. Organisers of the
party were booked under the gambling act and other IPC sections in
Vasant Kunj south police station.
A senior officer told Mail Today
that the organisers had planned around six high-profile casino parties
in different locations in a run-up for Diwali. They were preparing for
running makeshift casinos for the last one month.
Special casino
tables and imported alcohol were organised and the venue. Gambling card
games are often played in both villages and cities around Diwali, as it
is generally considered auspicious to gamble during the festival.The
basement of the hotel was booked by a man identified as Sajid Khan,a gym
owner in south Delhi. His two friends Dinesh alias Bhakti and Jagjeet
Singh had organised the casino party. Even in the past, they have a
history of organising illegal parties in Delhi and NCR," Arya said. Most
forms of gambling are illegal in India, as the Public Gambling Act of
1867 clearly states that the running or visiting a public gaming house
is punishable by modest fines or prison terms.
The states of Goa and
Sikkim, however, allow casinos on their territories. Most gambling in
the country, from penny-stake games at street corners and card parties
in affluent homes to wagers on cricket and underground numbers games, is
illicit and goes untaxed.
"Most of the arrested persons are local
industrialists, jewelers and businessmen. They were contacted through a
WhatsApp group. Just one day before the party, the organizers had shared
the location and venue of the party," Arya said. Sources say many
gamblers were placing their bets through WhatsApp.
