Paralakhemundi: At least 71 people, including government employees, businessmen and a retired police officer, were arrested during a raid by police at a village in Odisha’s Gajapati district.
The special operation was carried out at Deviti village under the jurisdiction of Paralakhemundi police station in the district on Sunday night. The police team seized over Rs 12.03 lakh cash, 954 playing cards, 102 betting tokens, a currency-counting machine, 60 mobile phones and nine four-wheelers from the site.
Among those arrested were Kurmanath Rath (55), a section officer at Rayagada block, Ushat Kumar Dash (51), an officer in the Agriculture Department and K Appala Naidu (66), a senior police officer said.
Acting on a specific information, a police team raided Jai Matadi Kalyan Mandap at Deviti village after obtaining a search warrant. The accused persons were allegedly found playing cards and wagering money on tables.
Preliminary investigation showed that one T Nageswar Rao of Andhra Pradesh was allegedly running the gambling den with the assistance of B Prasad and seven other associates. The building owner was reportedly aware of the illegal operations and consented to the illegal activities, police added.