Gamblers get busy on weekends in city hotels

Gambling activities are now thriving at hotels and private places as some people are involved in arranging gambling only on weekends. Huge profits and not being on the radar of police are said to be the reasons for the growth in the trend, reports NIE.

City Crime Branch police raided a hotel in Mahalakshmi Layout on Saturday, where 47 people were arrested for gambling. The raid revealed that the organisers lured punters from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, where there is total crackdown on gambling dens. The organisers had taken care of their flight charges and lodging.

“It was an ‘all-expenses borne’ activity for the punters, while the organisers charged them exorbitantly for each game. As per a rough estimate, the organisers made around Rs 50 lakh per weekend. It has been established that the illegal business was on for the last six months,” a CCB official said.

“The organisers have brokers who circulate information about organising gambling at a safe place. The message is passed only to trusted members. Whoever expresses interest will be given further information and the broker will be their point of contact throughout the event. In some cases, cover charges ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh will be levied,” the official added.

“Gambling is organised at hotels and other places on the outskirts to avoid police raids,” a police source added.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Alok Kumar said, such gambling activities are organised by some elements only during weekends at hotels and on city outskirts assuming that the police do not know anything about it. But we are gathering information on such activities and initiating action against them.

Kapali Mohan, the person accused of organising gambling at RG Hotel in Mahalakshmi Layout, is a financier. “He has links with many Kannada film producers and has financed their movies. He is currently absconding and will be nabbed soon. During the raids, it was also found that he was lending money against exorbitant interest rates. A separate case has been booked against him for the same,” police said.