Hyderabad bizman arrested for organising gambling ring

HYDERABAD: In a predawn swoop, a huge contingent of the Task Force and the Begumpet police raided the residence of a shady businessman, Aravind Agarwal, 55, and booked him for organising a gambling party for several VIPs in the city on Friday.

Those apprehended during the raid reportedly include four MLAs of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS). Aravind Agarwal, along with the four MLAs, was booked for allegedly playing poker and playing loud music during an after-party organised on Diwali.

Agarwal, who is known for organising gambling sojourns on cruises and at star hotels in Goa and for such other ‘entertainment’ trips, is named as the A1 (accused number one) in the case.

The Begumpet police, which had initially booked them under Section 9 of the Telangana Gaming (Amendment) Act, 2017, allegedly let the TRS MLAs go free after a city-based minister intervened, sources revealed. The sources further informed that Rs 12.65 lakh in cash was seized from the location where the poker game was being held.

According to P. Srinivasa Rao, inspector, Begumpet police, the raid was conducted at around 1.30 am on Friday, following a complaint of loud noise, disturbance and sound pollution from a neighbouring building, following which a petty case was booked.

The inspector said they booked Aravind Agarwal, along with four others who were playing poker on the terrace of the house. While the police official revealed Agarwal’s name, he refused to reveal who the others were. “We reached the spot and found Aravind Agarwal along with four others. We cannot reveal other names,” the inspector said.

The Diwali dinner party, reportedly organised by Agarwal, who was not personally playing the poker game, had about 50 to 60 guests, most of whom reportedly left by around 11 pm. “The five men who were playing poker with loud music were nabbed by the teams but were allowed to go on bail later,” the police officer said.

Asked if any MLAs were caught playing poker, he denied knowledge of the involvement of MLAs. However, reliable sources told Deccan Chronicle that four TRS MLAs were caught during the raid.

The raid, a joint action by the Begumpet police and a team from the Commissioner’s Task Force, involved about 80 policemen. Interestingly, the Commissioner’s Task Force officials denied taking part in the operation, even though the FIR showed that it was a joint operation by the North Zone Task Force and the Begumpet law and order police.

Section 9 of 1 of Gaming Act, under which the men were booked, says: “Whoever is found gaming or reasonably suspected to be gaming in any public street or thoroughfare or in any place to which the public have, or are permitted to have access, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine, which may extend to five thousand rupees or with both.”

Sources also revealed that the men were let off within minutes of the raid. An advocate speaking to this correspondent said, “The police, as per rules, have to take anyone booked for gambling to a morning court at 8:30 am. In this particular case, the raid was in the early hours and after that, the police let them go. That too, after they paid a minimum fine of Rs 500.”

 “Though the police can give a station bail by issuing a 41 CrPC notice to the accused for an offence that attracts imprisonment of less than seven years, in this offence the accused should be produced before the morning court,” the advocate explained.

When quizzed about sharing a copy of the first information report (FIR), inspector Srinivas Rao initially shared the FIR (No 404 / 2021) but snatched the copy back from this reporter, claiming that he was under instructions from a senior officer not to share any details about the case with the media.

When contacted for clarifications, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), North Zone, Kalmeshwar Shingenavar did not respond to our calls.

The FIR copy is a public document and has to be uploaded on to the police portal within hours after an FIR is registered. However, the police, in this case, have delayed uploading the FIR copy online.