Police raid gambling club on Maharashtra-Telangana border, seize Rs 50 lakh cash

Police carried out a major raid on Sunday at a disputed club running in the Sonurli-Lakadkot area on the Maharashtra-Telangana border, in Rajura taluka of Chandrapur district. Acting on prior confidential information that large-scale gambling was taking place at the club under the guise of entertainment, police seized cash worth about Rs 50 lakh along with gambling equipment during the raid. According to initial information, around 150 people have been taken into custody. The action has caused a stir among club syndicates operating in the border area.

The area, being located on the border of Maharashtra and Telangana, had reportedly become a safe haunt for big gamblers from both states. According to sources, a large number of wealthy players from Telangana had also arrived at the club on Sunday. As soon as the police team entered the club, those gambling scattered in panic and tried to flee. Inside closed rooms, bundles of cash worth lakhs of rupees and playing cards were spread out on tables when police sealed off the area.

A large crowd had gathered at the club at the time of the raid. Police have taken about 150 suspects into custody. An investigation is under way at the police station into how many of them are actual players and how many are club staff, as well as who will face charges. The process of counting the seized cash and preparing the seizure panchnama continued late into the night.

Kumar Sushant, the IPS officer serving as SDPO in charge of Rajura sub-division and known for strict action, has seen a crackdown on illegal activities in the border area during his tenure. Recently, action was taken under MCOCA against organised crime in the high-profile Papa Jadhav murder case in Rajura. The large-scale action at the border-area gambling den is being seen as a direct warning to those running illegal businesses.

The raid has raised several serious questions locally, including under what license the club was being run, who was misusing an entertainment or sports license to operate an illegal casino-style gambling den, and whose money from across the border was invested in the racket. Local residents say the action should not stop at a single day's raid but should expose the entire network of those running the club, its financiers and local supporters. The full picture of the action will become clear only after police release official information on the cash and gambling equipment seized and the cases registered. For now, the raid at Sonurli has exposed the club culture in the border area and caused a stir locally.