THE SEIZURE
>> Rs 10 lakh cash and over 5,000 gambling chips
>> Two card swipe machines and 57 mobile phones
THE SPOT
>> Two hotel rooms on the fifth floor were being used for gambling activity
THE GAMBLERS
>> Businessmen on a trip to Goa during the weekend
NO GOANS
>> Locals were not involved, according to DySP Edwin Colaco
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOTEL OWNER
IN THE DOCK
Police will be writing a letter to the tourism department and the local panchayat for taking appropriate action against the hotel owner for letting his premises to be used for gambling activity
------------------------------------------------------------
MAPUSA: A team of Goa Police arrested 42 persons, mainly from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi, during a midnight gambling raid in a hotel in Calangute.
Rs 10 lakh cash and over 5,000 gambling chips with face value of Rs 1,000 were seized in the raid.
A team of police officers led by Calangute PI, Nolasco Raposo and Old Goa PI, Vijaynath Kavlekar along with support staff raided the hotel at Gaura-vaddo, Calangute in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.
According to police, two hotel rooms on the fifth floor were being used to conduct the playing card gambling activity.
“The gambling was taking place in two separate rooms of the hotel where card games were being played. These men are businessmen and had come to Goa during the weekend,” a police officer informed.
Police said total amount of Rs 10,00,300 cash and 5,739 chips each with a face value of Rs 1,000, two card swipe machines and 57 mobile phones were seized in the raid.
Calangute Police have booked an offence against the accused persons including the organizers under the provisions of Section 3 and 4 of the Goa Daman and Diu Gambling Act.
Police will be writing a letter to the tourism department and the local panchayat for taking appropriate action against the hotel owner for letting his premises to be used for gambling activity.
“Whatever action that needs to be taken will be taken. So far, we have written to the tourism department and the Calangute panchayat to take appropriate action against the hotel owner,” said DySP Edwin Colaco when queried whether police could not take action against the owner of the hotel.
He also said that no Goans were involved in the gambling.
PSI Navin Dessai will be investigating further under the supervision of PI Nolasco Raposo and overall supervision of SDPO Porvorim Edwin Colaco and SP North Utkrisht Prasoon.
