SRINAGAR The gambling as well as the illegal sale of lottery tickets was rampant in Srinagar city with police having arrested a large number of youth from different parts while indulging in the illegal activities.
Police officials said that they have intensified routine checking to prevent the gambling. But many residents said that the steps by the authorities were inadequate. In a fresh case reported here on Saturday, police said that they arrested four gamblers and recovered stake money here from their possession. Acting on a tip-off, a police party from police station Kralkhud raided a gambling din at Basant Bagh , Gaw Kadal near here and arrested four gamblers.
Police also recovered stake money, a police official said, adding that the gamblers were identified as Zahoor Ahmad Najar, Shahnawaz Ahmad Tramboo, Jamsheed Ali Mala and Abdul Majid Kant. Earlier last month a police party of police station Nowhatta raided a gambling site near Khawaja Bazar and apprehended three gamblers.
Police officials said that a number of cases have come to their notice, in which a quick action was initiated against the people and many arrests were made as well. On November 18, last year, police arrested nine gamblers and recovered stake money from their possession during a raid at Khawaja Bazar. In the raid the stake money of Rs 11,300 was also recovered while as gambling cards were also seized from the youth.
On the same day, a police party of police station Khanyar raided a gambling site near Babademb and apprehended six gamblers along with the stake money of Rs 10,530 and gambling cards. On December 4 last year, Srinagar police arrested six gamblers in Noorbagh area of Srinagar and recovered stake money of Rs 13500 from the gambling site.
According to police officials besides playing the cards, the youth have also been buying lottery tickets which are banned in the state. On December 24, police arrested three lottery sellers in Lalchowk area of Srinagar. A police official said that they acted on a specific information regarding the presence of lottery sellers in Lal Chowk area in Srinagar police arrested three lottery sellers who were cheating common masses at Abi Guzar area. The arrested persons were found selling lottery inside a vehicle, said an official, adding that a cash amount of rupees 33,080, 3 mobile phones and other relevant material was recovered from their possession, he said. Earlier in November, police arrested five lottery sellers also in Lalchowk area. A police party of police station Kothibagh apprehended 5 lottery ticket sellers and also seized 6 mobile phones as well as lottery tickets from their possession. The lotteries were sold from an auto rickshaw. According to police the youth were resorting the gambling even in the Khanyar area near Dastageer Sahib shrine. During a raid in September last year five gamblers were arrested and stake money of rupees 12,820 was recovered from the gambling site near the shrine.
The stake money in the gambling remains as high as few thousand to even a lakh. We arrested four gamblers and recovered stake money of rupees 7050 from a spot at Soura. We raided a gambling site at graveyard Umerhair and apprehended four gamblers from the spot, said a police official.
The police have registered many FIRs and even said that people can contact them on 100 in case of complaints.
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