A silent operation is underway in Kozhikode district to crack the operation of single-digit lottery agents who have emerged as a threat to the Kerala government’s approved lottery sales.
Plainclothesmen are on duty in suspected areas where the agents are reportedly operating the illegal games, both the traditional and online ways.
According to police sources, the agents in the illegal business are reportedly targeting the financially backward youngsters from urban and rural areas offering quick gains. The success stories of the approved lottery winners in recent times have also come as bait for many agents to woo their young clients, they said.
“The illegal practice is to prefix a single-digit number on payment and announce the prize based on the Kerala lottery results. There are many who prefix double or triple digits to carry out parallel trade,” said a police officer who was part of checking squads to expose the illegal game. The officer pointed out that the quick release of prize money with daily draws attracted many secret buyers.
In Kozhikode, seven persons who allegedly dealt with the parallel lottery trade were arrested within the last two weeks. Three of them were part of a bigger gang that had set up an office in the city and district-wide network to canvass buyers.
During the surprise inspection, the police had also recovered liquid cash to the tune of 3.22 lakh from the three. According to police sources, it was just a single-day collection, unveiling the magnitude of the illegal business run by the Panniyankara natives.
“The action was intensified in the area following confidential reports that many youngsters were falling into a debt trap in their run for illegal lottery prizes. It was found that the agents were carrying out the trade online with exclusive office facilities in the city,” said an officer associated with the crime squad. There were also special social media accounts to coordinate the illegal game, he said.
The arrest of another four-member gang by the Kunnamangalam police on Saturday uncovered the role of youngsters who emerged as agents in the illegal business. Mukkom native Abhinav, 20, and Vijin, 19, who were nabbed along with their senior partners Rajeev, 37, and Ali, 47, were mostly targeting the rural buyers with triple-digit lotteries offered at different prices.
