CCTV Dealers

VADODARA : Move over teen patti, poker is the latest gambling fad. After closed door gatherings among poker lovers, it now seems to have reached gambling dens.

Twenty people were arrested on Wednesday night in a raid at Alankar Tower in Sayajigunj for playing poker on second floor of the building. 

A team of police from Sayajigunj police station raided the place where 13 persons were found to be playing the game and seven others, who were employed by Anand Thakkar and Manan Pancholi, both residents of Ahmedabad and ran the place under the name of Westerb Poker Academy. The kingpin were not present when the cops raided the place and have been declared as wanted.

Police said that gambling activity was going on in the premises sincethe past two months where players were allowed to play only if they had minimum cash Rs 5,000. The players had to pay cash at the counter in exchange for which they were handed chips to play the game. Cops said that Thakkar and Pancholi, who had taken the premises on rent from the owner of Hotel Pride Biznotel, had employed professionals from Bengaluru and casinos of Goa as dealers. "Many of those arrested for playing are college students while others work in different private companies," said a police official.

Police sources said that the wanted duo had specially designed the place for playing poker as there were special poker tables and the interiors were done to complement the game. The police seized cash amounting to Rs 1.34 lakh from the counter and from the players. The vehicles and mobiles phones belonging to the accused were also seized by the cops. "The tenants of the premises had even installed CCTV cameras to monitor the premises which we have seized and are investigating its past footage," the police official said.

Police said that it is coming down heavily on gambling dens in the city. 

Ref : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/20-arrested-in-midnight-poker-raid/articleshow/59377025.cms