Three held in raid on gambling den at bar in Gadchandur; goods worth Rs 67,850 seized

Police in the Gadchandur police station area of Chandrapur district have raided a gambling den being run in a bar building. In the action by the team of the Sub-Divisional Police Officer, three men who were gambling for money were caught on the spot. Cash, mobile phones and other items worth about Rs 67,000 were seized from them.

According to police, Gadchandur police received a tip-off around 7 pm on October 26. The information was that some people had gathered in a hall on the upper floor of J Palace Bar, on the road from Gadchandur to Korpana, and were playing a card game called cut patta with a deck of 52 cards, with money being won and lost on bets.

After confirming the information, police obtained written permission from the Sub-Divisional Police Officer and, on the orders of the police inspector, laid a trap. In the presence of panch witnesses, the police crept up to the second floor of J Palace Bar. There they saw several people sitting in a circle and gambling.

The raid was carried out in front of the panch witnesses as soon as the police saw them. Three men were caught on the spot, while the other two players managed to flee by jumping over a wall through the back door of the hall.

On questioning, the men caught gave their names as Ganpat Nilkanth Kolhe (50, MHADA Colony, Nanda, Korpana tehsil), Amol Tukaram Rathod (32, WCL quarters, Chandrapur) and Ankush Wasudev Dambhare (42, Pathala, Bhadravati tehsil).

A search and spot inspection in front of the panch witnesses turned up cash, Android mobile phones of different makes and a deck of 52 playing cards from the accused. The total value has been put at Rs 67,850, and police have seized everything.

A case has been registered at Gadchandur police station against the accused under sections of the Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act, 1887, on the complaint of police constable Santosh Sahebrao Nagulwad. Police havaldar Diwakar Dipchand Pawar is investigating further. The action has caused a stir among those involved in illegal gambling.