Date:12/06/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/12/stories/2007061220550400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Two lottery centres raided

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Even after the State was declared as a lottery-free zone from April 1, the illegal sale of lotteries continues uncurbed as the South division police discovered on Monday when they raided two lottery centres in Hanumanthnagar and Basavanagudi police station limits.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Alok Kumar said based on information given by owners of the two centres, the police raided the main centre on Kamaraj Road from where the tickets were being supplied. Four persons were arrested, Rs. 65,000 in cash and Sikkim and Bhutan lottery tickets with a face value of Rs. 8 lakh seized. He named two of the arrested men as Anil Kumar and Satyanarayan Udupa. The centre used to procure the tickets from Kolkata and communicate the result to punters here after getting them from Bhutan and Sikkim.

"The person behind this racket is Chandrashekhar Aradhya. He has been supplying lottery tickets to Sakleshpur, Madikeri and Hassan in the State. We have with us documents to prove this," he said.

In the city, there are at least 15 centres to which he was supplying the tickets, they said. The police estimate the volume of his business every week to be around Rs. 10 lakh. Mr. Alok Kumar said that Aradhya was selling 10-rupee and 50-rupee denomination lottery tickets. A case has been registered.