Cuttack: Police have busted a gambling racket at the Jagatpur truck terminal with the arrest of five persons. Playing cards, stake money of Rs 6,200, six mobile phones and three motorcycles were also seized.
Jagatpur police said raids on the truck terminal on Saturday night revealed that a group of local goons were regularly organising betting and gambling there.
The arrested had been identified as Mahanadi Vihar residents Arabinda Samal, 43, Anil Lohia, 52, Naugaon resident Kishore Swain, 36, and Jagatpur residents Randhir Kumar Singh, 38, and Umesh Prasad Yadav, 46.
Deputy commissioner of police Akhileswar Singh said the accused persons had been "indulging in gambling in the area and regularly cheating truck drivers and daily labourers of their hard earned money in illegal manner".
Cases were registered against them at Jagatpur police station on Saturday under Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code, and relevant sections of the Prize Cheats and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act and the Orissa Prevention of Gambling Act.
The police said the raids followed information about illegal gambling activities by some persons near the truck terminal. Jagatpur police station assistant sub-inspector Kulamani Rout got the information during a night patrol and raided the truck terminal around 2.45am on Saturday.
Investigation is in progress to ascertain the antecedents of the arrested persons and the possible involvement of others in the gambling racket.
On March 25, Chauliaganj police had busted a gambling racket functioning at Nehru Palli with the arrest of 13 persons along with playing cards and stake money of Rs 25,597.
On February 4, Lalbag police had busted a gambling racket functioning at Ganga Mandir area with the arrest of 18 persons along with playing cards and stake money of Rs 35,645.
Three held
Police on Sunday arrested three persons and seized two motorcycles, a power tiller with cutter plate and 30 laterite stones from them. The accused have been identified as Rakesh Sahoo, Satyajit Bhuyan and Bishnu Charan Parida.
