Chikkaballapura: Pathapalya police arrested 19 persons and seized over Rs 9 lakh in stake money during a raid on an illegal gambling operation at Tholapalli village on Friday evening.Acting on specific inputs, a team led by circle inspector M Srinivas and PSI Ganesh of Chelur police station raided the tank bund area, where around 21 people were found allegedly playing gambling games, including the banned ‘Andhar Bahar’. Police said several of the accused had travelled from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to participate. On spotting police, two individuals fled the scene, abandoning their belongings. Following a mahazar, officers took 19 persons into custody and seized cash, 15 mobile phones and two two-wheelers from the spot.The raid comes days after a wider crackdown during the Ugadi festival period, when Chikkaballapura police registered 82 cases and arrested about 475 persons in connection with gambling offences over two days. Nearly Rs 6 lakh in stake money was seized in those cases. SP Kushal Chouskey said the department had made arrangements to curb illegal activities during the festival season and warned that strict action would continue against offenders.
