On Saturday, officers of unit-2 of the metropolis’s crime department conducted a raid on the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC), which runs the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, and arrested eleven human beings for going for walks an unlawful horse race having a betting racket. Police stated the accused had been accepting bets on a horse-racing occasion in Pune and taking cash without taking RWITC’s permission. Officers said the club had no position to play within the crime.
The accused — Chetan Dharma Solanki, Eliyas Yusuf Galiyara, Humzas Shapoorji Daji, Prashant Jogadia, Paresh Shah, Sandeep Yadav, Sandip Shirke, Afjalali Nawabali, Brian Macwan, Rajesh Agarwal, and Mohmmad Sarwar — were arrested below costs of cheating, not unusual purpose, and under the Gambling Act. They had been remanded in police custody until September 18. “The arrested accused are all from Mumbai and seem to be operating under a person. We are searching for the main bookie within the case,” stated Datta Nalawade, deputy commissioner of police of the crime department.
The accused had been arrested by unit-2 officers acting on a tip-off. “Betting on horse races in Mahalaxmi is authorized if the process is followed. But the accused didn’t have permission from RWITC and has been running without a license to avoid taxes,” stated an officer. The police stated that after people place bets on the official RWITC counter or through personal stalls licensed by way of RWITC, they should pay 18% Goods and Services Tax (GST). However, after getting into the viewing region, the accused used to invite normal customers whom they knew to location bets with them, evading GST, stated Sanjay Nikumbhe, inspector, unit 2. During the inquiry, the police seized 4 cellular telephones and cash from the accused. We also observed that these people’s standard guess of ₹92,010 from cell phones and maintain a whole file. Further inquiry is on,” stated a reliable source.
