New Delhi, May 26 (IANS) In a major crackdown on illegal gambling activities, the Special Staff of East District Police on Tuesday busted a racket operating from the Indira Camp area of Mayur Vihar and apprehended 17 accused persons.

During the operation, police recovered a QR code allegedly being used for collecting gambling money digitally, along with two gambling registers, two diaries, handwritten betting slips, and cash amounting to Rs 8,891.

According to police officials, an FIR bearing No. 206/2026 under Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Delhi Public Gambling Act has been registered at Police Station Mayur Vihar. Further investigation is underway to trace the larger network and financial transactions linked to the racket.

Police said the action was part of an ongoing drive by East District Police to curb illegal betting and gambling activities in the area. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the Special Staff team conducted a raid at Jhuggi Indira Camp in Mayur Vihar, where several individuals had allegedly gathered to participate in illegal gambling activities linked to Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) betting numbers.

Officials said the accused persons were maintaining gambling records through registers and diaries while payments were being accepted through a QR code facility.

The operation was carried out under the close supervision of ACP Operations Pawan Kumar and the leadership of Inspector Jitendra Malik, in charge of Special Staff, East District. The dedicated police team included Head Constable Himanshu, HC Naresh, Constable Rajeev, and Ct. Sanoj, who had been actively working on intelligence inputs related to illegal gambling activities in the district.

According to the police, on May 23, specific information was received by HC Himanshu regarding illegal gambling activities being conducted at Jhuggi Indira Camp under the jurisdiction of Police Station Mayur Vihar. The informer revealed that several people regularly assembled at the location to participate in public gambling.

Acting swiftly on the information, the police team conducted a raid at the identified premises. Upon noticing the presence of police personnel, several accused persons allegedly attempted to flee and created chaos at the spot. However, the police team acted promptly and managed to apprehend all 17 accused persons.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed their identities as Anil (36), Raju (56), Veerpal (50), Firoz (23), Sakil (42), Mukesh (35), Mahender (67), Rajesh (48), Krishan Chand (54), Aditya (39), Abdul (52), Ram Bharose (36), Gajender (58), Banti (35), Dheeraj (34), Naeem (70), and Bansu (55). Most of the accused are residents of Trilokpuri and the nearby areas of East Delhi.

Police said the accused were found using handwritten slips, registers, and diaries to maintain gambling records. Investigators also recovered one QR code that was allegedly being used to collect payments digitally from participants involved in betting activities.

The seized items included two gambling number record registers, two record diaries, handwritten betting slips, one QR code, and cash amounting to Rs 8,891.

During preliminary investigation, police found that many of the accused belonged to economically weaker sections and were engaged in occupations such as driving, painting, labour work, rag picking, vending, electrical work, and cleaning jobs. Some of the accused were also found to be senior citizens.

Officials said further investigation is in progress to identify the complete network behind the gambling operation, examine the financial transactions made through digital payment methods, and ascertain whether more individuals are connected to the racket.

Police are also investigating the role of the organisers and the possible involvement of other persons facilitating illegal betting activities in the area.

–IANS

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