55 arrested, mastermind yet absconding
Karnal: The house in Parsi Colony at Gharaunda in Karnal district was raided by police on July 2 and caught 55 gamblers. Police got secret information that a massive illegal gambling racket was operating under the garb of a private hospital. However, the key mastermind Rinku from Gharaunda yet remains absconding. Rinku has a criminal background allegedly involved in the vast scale of antisocial activities. The gambling den, running in a residential colony, was all of a sudden raided by the CM Flying Squad, leading to the arrest of 55 people and seizure of cash, liquor, vehicles, and gambling equipment.
Investigations reveal that Rinku, the main accused, is no ordinary person. He is the owner of Prabhu Hospital in Karnal, which he established five years ago. Despite his respectable front, Rinku allegedly has a known criminal history. Two cases of cheque bounce involving Rs 12–13 lakh were registered against him in October 2023 at the Civil Lines police station. He is absconding in both cases. Additionally, a 2021 case related to a brawl is pending against him in Panipat.
DSP Sushil Kumar of CM Flying Squad confirmed that Rinku not only financed and operated the gambling den but also managed hospitality services, including liquor parties, for which he charged an additional Rs 50,000. Money and mobile phones were recovered during the raid. However, four key accused identified as Vijay Sharma, Ravinder, Ashwini alias Shammi, and Rakesh were taken on a one-day remand after their arrestare in police custody. Information reveals, all are repeat offenders with past cases of gambling. Ashwini has 6 gambling cases registered against him, three each in 2017 and 2022. Vijay Sharma and Rakesh are involved in 2 gambling cases each and Ravinder has one case registered against him previously. Information also revealed that these four were not mere participants but equal partners in this illegal operation. The den had been active in Vijay Sharma’s house in Pasi Colony, Gharaunda, for the past several months.
Police arrested all alleged accused after the raid. Den was exposed due to residents’ complaints after locals in Pasi Colony grew suspicious after a surge in cars and two-wheelers arriving at Vijay Sharma’s residence daily from 7 PM to 7 AM. The traffic disrupted daily life, with outsiders parking in front of residents’ homes. When repeated complaints to Vijay went unanswered, the frustrated locals alerted the CM Flying Squad, which eventually led to the breakthrough. On the night of July 2 at 11 PM, CM Flying Squads from Karnal, Panipat, and Sonipat raided the location in two phases. The operation resulted in the arrest of 55 individuals, including gamblers from Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. The Flying Squad team seized from the site Rs 12 lakh in cash, 51 mobile phones, 6 bikes and 6 cars, one dummy pistol. liquor bottles, beer, and food items, and 504 playing cards and dice. The house was set up like a luxury lounge with mattresses, pillows, and five staff members serving kebabs, dal makhani, shahi paneer and liquor to gamblers. Information also revealed, no additional fee was charged for food and drinks as these were part of the ‘experience’ arranged by Rinku.
DSP Sushil Kumar stated that the gambling racket was largely managed via WhatsApp groups. Rinku and his team would conduct background checks before adding new members to the group. Once verified, players were sent the location of the current gambling den, usually changed monthly to avoid suspicion. The gamblers were found to have arrived from different places: Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The operators even used to reimburse travel fares for select players to ensure loyalty. Police estimate the monthly earnings from this gambling den to be ranging between rupees 1 crore and 1.5 crore after deducting expenses like food, drinks, and venue management and the profit was equally shared among Rinku and his four partners. Rinku’s additional earning for managing each party arrangement was about Rs 50,000 which was also shared by all partners. In a few cases, the den was offering credit to players, with some playing on borrowed money and repaying later. Gambling was played through cards and dice, with betting amounts starting from Rs 1,000 and going up without limits.
The anticipatory bail plea of Rinku, the prime accused, has been rejected by the court. Meanwhile, 47 other accused have filed bail applications in the Karnal court. DSP Sushil Kumar stated that more arrests are expected as they trace the financial trail and digital communications used in the racket. He said, Rinku has been in this business for nearly a decade, which was not just a gambling den, but an organized, high-earning illegal enterprise.
