2,200 cases booked against cockfight organisers in Eluru range

Over 1,000 roosters and about ₹30 lakh cash seized: police

A cockfight event at Ampapuram is a village in Krishna district during the Sankranti festival.

Police registered more than 2,200 cases in total against cockfight organisers and gamblers and seized about ₹30 lakh from their possession during raids conducted in Eluru Range, comprising West Godavari, Krishna and East Godavari districts.

“In West Godavari district, police registered 452 cases against organisers and punters and arrested 1,085 of them. Police seized ₹6.67 lakh cash, 582 fowls and 669 knives from them during raids,” said Superintendent of Police Rahul Dev Sharma.

Gamblers held

As many as 670 gamblers were arrested and about ₹13.70 lakh cash was recovered from them during raids at Jangareddygudem, Kovvur, Narsapuram and other places, the SP told The Hindu on Monday.

Knives seized

In East Godavari, police booked 422 cases under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ac, 1960, against 939 persons and seized ₹3.79 lakh from their possession. In all, 838 roosters and 858 knives were seized from the arenas from various divisions in the district, said SP M. Ravindranath Babu.

Cases were registered against 248 persons under Section 9 (1) of Gaming Act, while 592 gamblers were arrested. Police seized ₹3.65 lakh fromthem, Mr. Ravindranath Babu said.

“In Krishna district, the Joint Action Teams and the Special Party Police conducted raids in Avanigadda, Nagayalanka, Nandigama, Jaggaiahpeta, Gudivada, Kaikalur, Machilipatnam, Pedana, Nuzvid, Tiruvuru and other places and booked more than 400 cases against the cockfight organisers and the punters,” said SP Siddharth Kaushal.

Hundreds of people were arrested for playing ‘gundata’ and other banned games in West Godavari district, and police seized about ₹8.5 lakh cash from them, Mr. Rahul Dev said.

The accused, along with the seized material, would be produced in the court, Mr. Siddharth Kaushal said.