Over 2,400 gambling cases registered, 6,291 held in 2020: Official

New Delhi: More than 2,400 cases of gambling were registered last year by Delhi Police. As per the official, the focus was given to bust rackets that were run by criminals and poor people were affected.

As per data, as many as 6,291 people were arrested and Rs 2.52 crore was recovered. Last year, Delhi Police witnessed illegal casinos being operated in the city. The official further stated that during raids, in two illegal casinos, more than 100 people were arrested from Vasant Kunj and Alipur.

The data further shows that more than 50 people were arrested in Satta racket from Model Town, Greater Kailash and Tilak Nagar. Raids were conducted in houses after which arrests were made. "We also arrested 33 people from Madangir, 25 from Lodhi Colony, 12 from Govindpuri and 10 from Sangam Vihar areas for running Satta rackets from slums, clusters in city," an official said.

According to Delhi Police, the focus was on gambling rackets run by criminals in which poor people were affected. During the lockdown, people started gambling to earn money.

In May, the Delhi Police arrested a Delhi man in an illegal gambling racket and found that the accused had purportedly turned to host lottery games during the COVID-19 lockdown owing to his unemployment and in a bid to take advantage of people looking to make a quick buck in times of the lockdown.

Earlier, Delhi Police have busted several gangs where the accused were found using betting assistant software to maintain records of their clients. However, with time, the methods of gambling have undergone several changes. Earlier, playing cards categorised as king or queen was used as betting tools by punters across the Capital. With the advancement in technology, racketeers have started using smartphones and/or computers to conduct this illegal business. Many accused use codes and betting software to keep track of various bets.