Police raid secret card game house in Kozhikode and catch 12 people

Police in Kozhikode busted a large gambling group operating from a rented house on Gurudev Road near Malaparamba Junction, arresting 12 people and seizing nearly five lakh rupees in cash.

The Raid

The District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force and the Chevayur police carried out the midnight raid at around 11.30 p.m. on Thursday, November 12. Narcotic Cell Assistant Commissioner Jeevan George led the special police team following a tip-off. Officers found that the group purposefully picked a quiet residential area to run high-stakes card games without catching public attention. Along with 4,96,050 rupees in cash, police also seized playing cards and other gambling tools. The Chevayur police filed a case against all the accused under Sections 7 and 8 of the Kerala Gaming Act.

The Accused

The 12 arrested individuals are Muhammed Rafi, 52, of Kakkodi, Sivamani, 40, of Karuvissery, Anil Kumar, 49, of Ulliyeri, Abdul Latheef, 50, of Parambil Bazar, Balakrishnan, 56, of Chemancheri, Saleem, 58, of Karaparamba, Abdul Najeeb, 62, of Vengeri, Muhammed Riyas, 41, of Vazhakkad in Malappuram, Poulose, 51, of Kuthiravattom, Anil Kumar, 41, of Elathur, Shamnas, 40, of Chelannur, and Satheesh Kumar of Palazhi. The investigation team included Chevayur sub inspectors Rafeeq and Abdul Muneer along with DANSAF sub inspector E. Manoj. Senior police officers stated that strict watch and tough action against such illegal operations will carry on in the days ahead.

Context

Illegal gambling dens often use rented houses in quiet residential neighborhoods to avoid drawing attention from law enforcement and local residents. Police units across the country routinely rely on secret tips and coordinated midnight raids to crack down on these hidden operations. Under state gaming laws, organizing or visiting illegal card dens can lead to arrests and seizure of stake money.