The district police on Thursday morning took as many as 16 gamblers belonging to various places in the Rayalaseema districts and Tamil Nadu into custody and seized Rs. 7.5 lakh, 17 mobile phones and four SUVs at a tank bed at Dasukuppam village of Satyavedu mandal.
According to the police, a flash raid was conducted at dawn, leading to the arrests and seizures. Gambling has been going on here for the last several weeks with bets running into lakhs of rupees. The gamblers, who come here from various places, are provided with suitable venues to continue their activity on the dried-up patches of the tank bed, bordering with Tamil Nadu. The organisers from Tirupati keep their men to guard the surroundings and detect the movement of police.
While the cops managed to nab the 16 gamblers, many of them landlords and well-off people, with some cash and vehicles, the organisers fled carrying a huge amount with them, police sources said. A case has been registered and further investigation is on.
