Shahdara: The 'King's Door' for gamblers

Shahdara district, one of the oldest localities in Delhi, had earned its moniker, 'King's Door', as the Mughal kings, used the area to travel from Meerut to Delhi. But the kings left and their subjects remained, who in present times have been using a separate door to realise the fortunes: Illegal casinos.

The district had recently witnessed several cases of illegal casinos that were busted by the police. Senior police officials from the district have claimed that the prevalence of illegal casinos has in fact resulted in an increase in street crimes.

Illegal casinos, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara), Nupur Prasad, is not a problem that just Shahdara district is grappling with but is something which is all pervasive. However, the prevalence of the illegal satta business in the district has become organised and street crimes are also connected with the gambling dens.

In Gandhi Nagar's labour chowk area, one can see several groups setting up local gambling spots to attract the labourers who are promised a high return of their investment. "They just set up these games out in the open and make the labourers who work in industrial area play their games. They initially set up some trial games and make one of their guys win several bets and attract customers. The customers believe that they can make Rs 5,000 in one hour and partake in those games," said a senior police official.

In several nondescript houses in Shahdara, snooker games are set up where the gamblers are encouraged to bet on every game, with a minimum bet of Rs 500. "They bet on every game, move and ball," said a police source.

The satta bazaar in Shahdara, however, were not set by the kings, rather, they were set up by a duo decades ago — Lalu and Kalu — both in their early 60's. "They were the ones who set up the satta business in Shahdara area. They have been arrested several times but they never left the business. But soon they grew old. Lalu was paralysed and Kalu died recently," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Nupur Prasad.

But Kalu's son, Akash took over the business and has also recruited managers to handle his illegal gambling dens. The business has reportedly spread to Jhilmil industrial area, Gandhi Nagar, Krishna Nagar and Seemapuri.

The online gambling dens, hitherto a closed group is the toughest to crack. "We had sent in the ACP from the area to infiltrate the casino. He was denied entry as he did not know the password. Then we managed to send in another decoy customer, who somehow managed to get in. Such groups are extremely difficult to access," Prasad added.

Prasad was also fundamental in cracking the high profile casino case in South Delhi last year in which 36 businessmen were arrested in a high stakes game. "The swiftness of the raids is the most important factor. The organisers may quickly change it to a normal game and hide their books. In Shahdara, I have started deploying decoy customers to gain access to the closed circuit games," she added.