KOTHAGUDEM: A nexus has been alleged between police officials and gambling organisers in a farmhouse in Mustibanda village in Dammapet mandal in Aswaraopeta Assembly constituency.
It came to the notice of higher officials in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district that the police did not file a case even after finding that several people were indulging in gambling and reportedly recovering Rs 30 lakh from them, according to our sources.
It is said that a middleman brokered a deal with the police who let the organisers go scot free, but kept the recovered money with them. The kingpin of the gambling is allegedly a cricket bookie in Sathupalli.
Interestingly, one of the workers of the farmhouse sent the GPS location of gambling spot to the police official in Aswaraopet and he was given Rs 2 lakh as a gift for giving information, said sources. Ironically, the station house officer of Dammapet had no information on the raid. The issue was also taken to the notice of Aswaraopet MLA Mecha Nageswara Rao, who found fault with the police official.
Businessmen from Guntur, Krishna and Khammam district are said to be involved in the card game called ‘Andar-Bahar’, which originated in Bengaluru. It is also known as Mankatha or Ulla Veliyae in Tamil.
The issue came to light after the police conducted searches. They found another Rs 10 lakh from a room in the farmhouse apart from the Rs 30 lakh they had recovered from the gambling den. However, the police reportedly struck a deal with the gamblers and returned Rs 6.5 lakh. No case was filed and the participants were freed, according to sources. But, news of the incident leaked and the gambling story became a hot topic among the public in Dammapet mandal.
When asked about the issue, additional SP Rohitraj said, “The issue was in the notice of the police department. The gambling episode is being investigated by senior officials.”
