Kathmandu, 25 Dec: The police have arrested six individuals from an Indian gang who were operating an illegal gambling casino at Waldo Casino located at the Shadow Center in Thamel, Kathmandu.
Through a press conference held on Wednesday, the Kathmandu District Police Range informed that six individuals involved in operating the illegal casino have been arrested and are currently in the custody of the Range.
Speaking at the press conference, Range Information Officer and Police Deputy Superintendent Pawan Kumar Bhattarai informed that the main leader of the Indian casino event gang, Suresh Mahajan, along with Pramod Moria, Dinesh Verma, Vikram Singh, Chija Khadka, and Bhavani Pandey have been arrested.
According to him, the identity of seven more Nepali citizens involved in fraud under the guise of illegal casino activities has been established, and the search for them is ongoing. During the raid on the casino, the police have confiscated playing cards used for gambling, sensor-equipped devices, lenses, and other materials.
The main leader of the illegal gambling gang, Suresh Mahajan, has been identified as an Indian citizen and he has been revealed as the operator of the ‘Casino Event Group’ and ‘BP and Mahakaya Group’ as well, police informed. It has been found that these groups have been conducting illegal gambling in the name of casino events in countries including Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
According to the police, around 70 casino players under the BP and Mahakaya Group had arrived in Nepal just on Mangsir 25. It has been revealed that around 200 people from India came to Nepal as other groups also participated in the event operated by this group. It has been found that the gang leader himself arranged everything from air tickets to food and accommodation for the people coming to gamble.
Police stated that evidence of transactions through hundi in gambling has also been found and that the illegal gambling operation has had a negative impact on casino tourism. Police Deputy Superintendent Bhattarai informed that further investigation into this matter has been initiated.
