Candolim raid shuts down Mumbai Matka; 29 detained

THE FRIDAY KNOCK-OUT
>> A team led by Police Inspector Dattaguru Sawant swooped down on the gambling den operated from a residential premises in Orda, Candolim
>> 29 persons present on the premises and involved in matka betting using sophisticated digital equipment nabbed
>> Among the 29 detained in the raid were Jayesh Shah and Chotulal Lalan, two members of the Mumbai underworld ring
>> Sources said, the duo were preparing to pick the first of the two-digit number for the Friday night draw
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WHAT'S MATKA
>> Matka is essentially a kind of lottery with draws on a daily basis
>> Bets are collected by an elaborate network of agents and bookies who retain jurisdictions demarcated among themselves by consensus
>> The illegal business is estimated to gross a daily turnover of several hundred crores across the country's Western coast
>> A significant amount of betting and transactions also happen from the Middle East through phone and hawala channels
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PANAJI: A major raid on a gambling den in Candolim by the Goa Police's Crime Branch triggered a chain reaction which ultimately led to the Gujarat-based principals shutting down the flourishing daily 'Mumbai Main' matka bazaar draw for Friday night.
A team led by Police Inspector Dattaguru Sawant swooped down on the gambling den operated from a residential premises in Orda, Candolim and nabbed 29 persons present on the premises and involved in matka betting using sophisticated digital equipment.
Among the 29 detained in the raid were Jayesh Shah and Chotulal Lalan, two members of the Mumbai underworld ring which controls the 'Mumbai Main' matka draw. Sources said, the duo were preparing to pick the first of the two-digit number for the Friday night draw.
Shah and Lalan work directly under the "Mumbai Main" bazaar kingpin Prakash Sawla who is said to be part of the Mumbai underworld and involved in several major criminal cases in the Metropolis.
Friday night's raid is the first time ever that Goa police action has led to the closure of the matka bazaar for the day. The matka gambling operation formerly had its origins in Mumbai but shifted base to Gujarat a few years ago after consistent action from the police there.
However, occasionally the principals decide to hold the draw at different places as a strategy to build confidence over its authenticity among the betting public. The draw has reportedly been conducted in Goa often, sources said, indicating that the State is a significant market for the illegal gambling racket.
Meanwhile PI Sawant told The Goan that investigations were going on and the links of a list of local Goan matka agents who are suspected to be involved in assisting Shah and Lalan to set up the place is being verified.
The team is exploring booking offences under the Goa gambling laws and also under the stringent Central Information Technology Act and the Indian Penal Code as well.
No cash was seized in the raid, a source who was part of the raiding team said.
Sawant when contacted admitted that no cash was seized. He said, operations at a nerve centre is normally cashless and the money exhcanges hands later through hawala channels.
Besides Sawant, the Crime Branch team comprised police inspector Prajyot Fadte, head constable Santosh Govekar and constables Sanjay Pednekar, Datta Vernekar, Naveen Palyekar and Rukesh Halarnkar.
Superintendent of Police (Crime) Kartick Kashyap, supervised the operation.