Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Just 850 metres from the police commissioner’s office, police raided a gambling den at Hotel Lucky Star, Mill Corner, and detained 101 gamblers in a late-night crackdown on Friday.
The club was allegedly run by Ashraf Khan, son of former corporator Afzal Khan, and had dodged action twice before. The raid, led by police inspector Nirmala Pardeshi, assistant inspectors Dilip Chandan, Vinayak Shelke, Ravi Gacche, and sub-inspector Nivrutti Gayke seized Rs 12.93 lakh in cash and mobile phones. As police entered around 7 pm, panic gripped the gamblers, many of whom were caught mid-game. Similar to a previous case at Chishtiya Chowk, gambling here operated on a coin-based system. Players deposited large sums sometimes lakhs to receive colored tokens used for betting. Wins and losses were later settled in cash.
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Gamblers from across Marathwada
The club operated across three floors of the hotel and drew gamblers from Jalna, Ahilyanagar, Beed, Badnapur, Kannad, Sillod, Vaijapur, and Gangapur. This was the third raid attempt; earlier ones were unsuccessful.
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Journalists attacked during coverage
While covering the action, journalist Machhindra Nagare was allegedly assaulted by Afzal Khan and his sons. They reportedly forced him to delete footage and threatened him with violence. A separate case has been filed under the Media Persons and Institutions (Prevention of Violence) Act, and sections 352, 351(2), 191(2), 189(2), and 115(2) of the IPC.