Further tightening the screws on the “matka” ( form of gambling/ instant lottery ) racket, sleuths of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police commissionerate raided a makeshift tenement in Vasai which was being used to run “Kalyan Matka” operations on Wednesday evening.
Acting on a tip-off, the police team swooped down on the tenement located near a fish market in the Papdi village area of Vasai. The police team caught the matka operator identified as Asif Kalyankar (61) who was allegedly accepting bets on Kalyan Matka. However, his accomplice took advantage of the crowd and managed to escape from the spot. The police seized cash and gambling material from the spot.
An offence under section 12 (A) of the Bombay Prevention of Gambling Act against the accused. Further investigations were underway.
Matka is a game in which people especially from the lower economic strata of the society including poor daily wage workers bet a stake on random numbers.
Locals alleged that the place was flocked by people including those with a criminal background, liquor addicts and nuisance-makers, making the area unsafe for others, especially women who frequented the market place.
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