India Authorities Arrest 23 Suspects During Green Park Resort Gambling Raid

Posted on: July 26, 2020, 06:36h. 

Last updated on: July 27, 2020, 02:25h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A police raid of India’s Green Park Resort, Talasari — about 83 miles north of Mumbai — led to the apprehension of 23 people on gambling and related charges early Saturday morning. The arrests are part of a continuing crackdown on illegal gambling in the country.

During the raid, authorities also seized Rs 73,000 in currency, equal to about $977, and some liquor. The total value of the seized items is Rs 1.31 lakh, equal to about US $1,753, the report adds.

Those apprehended face charges under India’s Public Gambling Act, the Bombay Prohibition Act (relating to alcohol sales and purchases), and other regulations, Palghar Superintendent of Police Dattatraya Shinde said in a statement quoted by the Deccan Herald, a regional newspaper in India. Shinde claims the owner of the resort “is on the run.”

India has many laws that heavily restrict or often outlaw gambling in the nation. Many of India’s legal casinos are in Goa.

Many of those arrested reside in Gujarat, a state on the west coast of India.

Ongoing Stings

Earlier this month, a gambling raid on a gaming den in Verna, a village located in the southern portion of Goa, located on the Arabian Sea, led to the arrest of five suspects, including the operator, the Times of India reported. Police seized Rs 1 lakh, which is equal to about $1,338.

Police said the five suspects were involved in a card game known as flash, or Teen patti, the Times said. It originated from poker.

Last October, police detained 58 suspects following a raid on a gambling den housed in a Ghitorni, India village hotel basement. Ghitorni is in the state of Delhi.

During a search of the property, police seized many rupees worth about $15,000, some 6,000 plastic gambling tokens, and five poker tables, India Today said. Police also seized 65 mobile phones, the Hindustan Times reported.

Underground Operations

Those arrested in Ghitorni included financial traders, industrialists, jewelers, and business executives, authorities told local media outlets. They were recruited by organizers through WhatsApp. Some participants even placed bets through the app, according to India Today.

To keep the operations hidden, the WhatsApp group was private with additional members being added only if they had a personal invite from organizers. 

The locations of the temporary gambling dens kept changing, but recently moved to the unnamed hotel, police said. Until the arrests, organizers were expecting to hold gambling in six different sites.

In the case of the Ghitorni operation, organizers told participants the approximate location of the gaming party the day before it started, the report said. To maintain secrecy, participants were only given an address near the gambling den, and once there, someone would direct them to the specific gaming site, the Times said.