Cops bust illegal gambling racket involving sheep fights

Investigations have revealed that the foreign-bred rams were used for such illegal betting rackets that had mushroomed in Maharashtra and other states. The police said that illegal dealers had set up shop all the way from Delhi to Kashmir, and would often conduct their business along border areas

NAVI MUMBAI: The police have arrested 75 people for organising and participating in illegal and cruel gambling using foreign-bred rams at a farmhouse in Raigad on Sunday. “Around 4 rams were made to compete and hit each other until one of them collapsed. The audience would bet on the strongest ram,” said Aanchal Dalal, superintendent of Pali police.

The police said that around 4 rams were made to compete and hit each other until one of them collapsed. The audience would bet on the strongest ram. (HT)

According to the police, they received a tip off about a gambling racket at the Tiger Goat Farmhouse in Gondav village. As they raided the farmhouse, the police recovered assets worth ₹1.37 crore including cash, vehicles, and other gambling paraphernalia.

The police said that the betting allegedly begins with wagers ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹50,000. Videos of the winning rams are then widely circulated through WhatsApp and other communication channels, drawing in a larger crowd of interested gamblers. In the wider betting circles, the bids often soar up to ₹5 lakh and beyond, said the police.

The value of the bids are decided based on how forcefully the ram strikes its opponent, the number of steps it takes in its attack, and the duration it manages to persist in the fight. “Once a ram has participated it holds no further value,” said Dalal. The police added that this case highlights the scale and organised nature of such animal-betting rackets which involve cross-border dealers and high stakes gambling.

Investigations have revealed that the foreign-bred rams were used for such illegal betting rackets that had mushroomed in Maharashtra and other states. The police said that illegal dealers had set up shop all the way from Delhi to Kashmir, and would often conduct their business along border areas.

A police officer said, “Locally, such rams are also sourced from Bhiwandi and Kalyan, usually when the sheep are around six months old and weigh about 30-40kg.” The officer added that as per reports, the Irani community in Bhopal has also been involved in this trade.

During the raid, the police found 77 accused, of which 75 have been arrested and two others, Imran Qureshi from Kurla and Atik Shaikh from Pune are on the run. The police said the duo jumped the compound wall and ran away during the raid, which was conducted by a joint team made up of officers from the Pali police and the local crime investigation unit of Raigad, Alibaug.

The police said that such illegal betting rackets using harmless animals were not only illegal as per the Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act, 1887, but were also cruel as per the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.