Ballari Police have cracked down on an alleged gambling den on the outskirts of Kurugodu town in Ballari district and detained 22 people and seized more than ₹1 lakh in cash during the raid. The raid was carried out after police received information that card gambling was taking place from a shed on government land.
There was a group of people at the location to play a card game for money, they said. Police seized on information about the activity and raided it. During the raid, 22 people involved in gambling activity were taken into custody.
Police also recovered more than ₹1 lakh in cash at the site associated with gambling. The seized cash has been taken into police custody in connection with the investigation. Officials will now investigate the circumstances of the cash and the role of the people who were present at the time.
The incident was reported to have taken place on the outskirts of Kurugodu town in Kurugodu taluk of Ballari district. The gambling was reportedly done in a shed which is constructed on government property. The use of government land for the alleged activity has also been taken into account by the police.
Veerabhadragowda has been named as a local journalist. He was allegedly involved in organising or facilitating the card gambling activity at that time, according to the allegations. Police are still trying to find out what he and others involved in the operation were doing. The case has not been proved by a court.
The situation was tense during the police raid, it said. Veerabhadragowda is alleged to have verbally abused police personnel during the operation. Police have noted it, and it is included in the Kurugodu Police Station case.
The police action has received attention locally because the alleged gambling activity was happening in a makeshift structure on government land. The shed was to be built, and gambling in the area to do so had been in place for years, authorities said.
The 22 people arrested in the raid are expected to be served with legal proceedings under gambling laws and other criminal acts police may have to investigate in the course of the investigation. The seized cash and other evidence gathered during the raid will be recorded in the case file.
Police will also want to know whether the activity was going on all the time, where and with whom and in what form and if there were other people involved in the alleged operation. They may also want to know if there is gambling in other places in the area.
The case was registered at Kurugodu Police Station, and further investigation is to be carried out. Police will determine the charges against the accused based on the evidence collected during the investigation.
Police will be looking to act on the gambling activities taking place in public and unauthorised places.
At this stage, the allegations against the accused, including the role of the local journalist and the verbal abuse of police officers, are under investigation and due legal process. More details from the Kurugodu police will be available in the future.
