On 30 January, 2022, the Visakhapatnam District Police, in collaboration with the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB), has busted a gambling racket in Bheemili. The police raided the Hayagreeva Resorts, at Bheemili, upon receiving information regarding a high stake gambling racket. A total of 22 gamblers, from various parts of Andhra Pradesh, were arrested by the police, seizing a whooping Rs. 5,70,270/-. Additionally, the police also caught hold of eight cars and plastic coins which were being used as cash in gambling.
A total of 123 coins worth Rs. 10,000 each, 180 coins worth Rs. 5,000 each, 10 coins worth Rs. 2,000 each, and 10 coins worth Rs. 1,000 each were found at the gambling den. The coins have the numbers 10, 20, 50, and 100 engraved on them. A 10 numbered coin would value Rs. 1,000, a 20 numbered coin is worth Rs. 2,000 and so on. The gamblers involved four people from the Krishna District, four from Visakhapatnam, eight people from West Godavari District, and the remaining from Anakapalli and East Godavari. The police team, which busted the gambling racket, consisted of Bheemili Police Station Circle Inspector, Ganta Venkata Ramana, Sub Inspector Santosh Kumar, and SEB officers Appala Raju, Ganesh, Jagadish, Padmavathi, Gnaneswari, Khageswara Rao, and Aman Rao.
In a similar incident three months ago, the Visakhapatnam District Police have busted a gambling racket at Pendurthi. The shocking fact was that this gambling racket was headed by a retired excise officer. The racket involved eight officers from the revenue, excise, and cooperative departments. Subsequently, a large amount of money was seized by the police.
Gambling rackets, being organised on the outskirts of the Visakhapatnam City, are turning out to be a major concern for the authorities. The organisers of these gambling rackets are choosing areas with low police vigilance to set up the dens. Additionally, men are arranged around these gambling areas to alert the organisers in case of a police raid. Despite the tiring efforts, put by the Visakhapatnam District Police, to stop people from gambling, the organisers are finding a way to somehow setup gambling dens around the city. Some of the areas, where gambling rackets are organised intensely, are Paravada, Pendurthi, Bheemili, Anandapuram, and Padmanabham.
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