Chennai: At least 22 individuals, including businessmen, traders, a film industry makeup artist, and a racecourse employee, were apprehended for gambling with cash during a police raid at a star hotel in Teynampet on Friday night. Law enforcement officials seized ₹81.58 lakh in cash, 25 mobile phones, and a cash-counting machine from the premises.
Details of the Raid
Acting on a tip-off, a special team from the Teynampet police station conducted a surprise raid at the hotel. During the operation, police discovered a group of people engaged in gambling with money. The officers detained all those present and transported them to the police station for questioning.
Identification of the Accused
The arrested individuals were identified as Sekar, 66, a makeup artist in the film industry; Kabir, 44, and Ramesh, 52, real estate businessmen; Rajesh, 28, an employee of the Guindy Racecourse; Naganathan, 47, a real estate professional; Sekar, 62, Kalaiselvam, 62, and Prabhu, 41, construction businessmen; Manmohan Reddy, 42, Srinivasan, 43, Sundarraj, 33, and Nataraj, 36, textile traders.
The remaining accused were identified as Sekar, 66, Venkatesh Subbareddy, 52, Rajendran, 38, Gunasekaran, 31, Narasimha Moorthy, 30, Sekar, 67, Srinivasan, 26, Ezhumalai, 56, Jayachandran, 52, and Anandhan, 40.
Seizures and Legal Proceedings
Police seized ₹80,58,030 in cash, 25 mobile phones, and a cash-counting machine from the accused. Investigators are examining the source of the money and the circumstances under which the gambling event was organized. Five of them were produced before a magistrate court in the city and remanded in judicial custody, while the other 17 were released after providing an undertaking.
A case was registered against the accused under provisions relating to gambling, and further investigation is ongoing.
