Varanasi: During a joint raid by SOG-2 and Sigra police personnel at a closed house in Rathyatra area under Sigra police station, 47 gamblers were arrested while over Rs 21 lakh was recovered on Wednesday evening.DCP (crime) Neetu Kadian, who led the operation, said that apart from taking legal action against the gamblers arrested, their credentials are also being verified.The raid was conducted after information about gambling at a house named as Kusumkunj in Rathyatra and recce by SOG-2 team for past many days. DCP said when the team cordoned the premises and found the accused playing cards in a room, they restricted them from making an exit. Police seized Rs 19,53,455 from the gambling board and Rs 1,58,510 during personal searches, taking the total cash recovery to Rs 21,11,965. They also recovered 53 mobile phones, 52 playing cards and 10 new packs of cards.During questioning, the accused told police that landlord Vishal Singh charged money for allowing gambling in the house. Police said Roshan Kumar, Rafiq Khan and Vijay Jaiswal helped organise the gambling sessions and collected daily payments. A driving licence, PAN card and debit and credit cards in Vishal Singh’s name were also found at the spot.All arrested persons were booked under Sections 3/4 of the Public Gambling Act. The cash, phones and cards recovered were sealed as per procedure and taken into police custody for further investigation. Officials said verification work is on.
