Gambling den busted in Oshiwara, 17 held

The Mumbai Police’s crime branch on Thursday raided a flat at a posh society in Oshiwara and arrested one person for allegedly running and managing a gambling den

The Mumbai Police’s crime branch on Thursday raided a flat at a posh society in Oshiwara and arrested one person for allegedly running and managing a gambling den and 16 others for gambling. During inquiry, police found that Monish Pushp Kumar Paleza, 32, had rented the 600-sqft flat for ₹10,000 per day in Adarsh Nagar, Oshiwara, Andheri.

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Police said, Paleza, a south Mumbai resident, has been running the gambling racket for more than six months. During the raid police found ₹91,000 in cash and 2,120 poker chips worth ₹35.33 lakh from the players, said Sandesh Rewale, senior inspector, social service branch (SSB).

“There have been crackdowns on prostitution rackets in areas like Oshiwara, Versova and Juhu. We also got input about an illegal gambling den in a residential complex, following which we laid a trap on Thursday night and found 16 people playing poker on two tables,” said Rewale.

“Most agents run gambling dens in residential places, hence it is difficult to get specific information. We have also recovered the diary where the accused maintained records of customers,” another SSB officer said.