The police on Sunday busted an illegal casino in the upmarket DLF Phase-II here and arrested 43 people, including five Nepalese women. Rs.20 lakh in cash on the bet, besides two-dozen cell phones, playing cards, branded liquor and a currency counting machine were also allegedly seized.
Acting on a tip-off, several police teams led by senior officers under the overall supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Deepak Saharan mounted a raid at the “L” block house in the early hours of Sunday and arrested the accused. The casino was being run by three men in partnership, two of whom have been arrested.
DLF Phase-II resident Naresh Malhotra, one of the joint owners of the casino, purportedly told the police during interrogation that the premises was taken on a monthly rent of Rs. 3 lakh and the customers visiting the casino were served branded liquor and meals.
“The casino housed a bar, a kitchen and rest rooms for the convenience of the customers. Besides a dozen bouncers, five Nepalese girls were also hired on contractual basis on a monthly salary of Rs. 20,000 per month to help and entertain the customers,” said Mr. Saharan.
The customers were allowed inside with an entry fee of Rs.1 lakh and only those known to the owners had the permission to visit the place. The closed-circuit television cameras were installed inside the premises to keep a strict vigil on the visitors. The casino was being run from the basement of the three-storey building. In reply to a query, Mr. Saharan said that it was under investigation as to how the customers were solicited.
Most of those arrested belong to Delhi, besides Gurgaon, Faridabad and Bihar. A case under the Excise and the Gambling Act has been registered at DLF-II Police Station.
