Goa is the only place in India that runs a casino gambling legally, Mumbai has come restrictions but the casinos are allowed in the five star hotels but in the rest of the country the Casinos are illegal but shockingly the police busted a Gambling Den in the port city of Kerala.
The place that was busted by the police was very similar to Casinos one see in Goa and Mumbai. The sophistication and tech kept the police officers who busted the place, spellbound.
The setup looked similar to the Casinos situated in Goa and Mumbai stated the police sources. According to them, the unearthing of the illegal gambling centre here is just the tip of the iceberg, and there is possibility of such many more places in the city, suspect the police.
The gambling den equipped with the modern facilities found operating on the 18th floor of the of a building complex on Chilavannur Bund Road near Kadavanthra. The top floor of the duplex flat was the ‘poker room’, where the gambling was organised.
Police arrested the kingpin Tipson Francis, 33, a native of North Paravoor who allegedly ran the gambling den. The seating arrangement was in such a way that seven persons could involve in gambling at the same time, said sources.
According to the sources, instead of cash the culprits made use of the plastic coins of various denomination such as Rs 7,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000 to gamble and after the winning money would be paid in cash or cheque by the accused, said the police.
During the inquiry, the police found that Tipson had rented the flat for Rs 60,000 per month. He is staying along with his family in another flat in the same apartment complex.
According to the reports, the police received the tip-off about the illegal gambling den during the investigation into the narcotic links of Syju Thankachan, who was arrested in connection with the car crash that killed three persons including two models on November 1.
Investigators suspected that Syju organised rave parties at various locations in the city and launched searches. The gambling centre was busted while the police team was carrying out raids in this case.
The gambling centre was opened during the first lockdown period in 2020. The clients were admitted only after paying an advance amount.
Tipson reportedly earned around Rs 1.5 lakh from a day of gambling. According to the police officials, details of the clients of the accused and other visitors to the flat are being probed.
Kochi City DCP Aishwarya Dongre said a detailed investigation is under way. “Currently, only one person has been arrested in the case. We are examining the bank transactions of the accused in detail so as to trace the clients,” she said.
