CHENNAI: When T Nagar MLA V P Kalairajan’s recent plea in the Assembly for a crackdown on gambling centres in his constituency led to police raids the very next day, there were many who heaved a sigh of relief.Within a few days, over 400 people were picked up, as the men in khaki raided 20 ‘recreation’ clubs from places across the city like Mambalam, Pondy Bazaar, Virugambakkam, Vadapalani, Valasarvakkam, Teynampet, Kolathur, and Korukkupet and recovered `9.54 lakh.City Commissioner of Police J K Tripathy told Express that the police have a zero-toleration policy towards gambling. Every police station has been instructed to keep a tight vigil on hotels and recreation centres, often misused for gambling.K P Shanmugarajeswaran, Joint Commissioner of Police, South Zone, even urged the public to pass on any information of gambling either to the control room or to contact him directly on his mobile number 9840479998.Several people, particularly those affected by gambling, welcomed the government initiative. Women and children from more than one lakh families, reeling under the growing burden of debts as their men blow up their earnings at gambling dens, would benefit from the crackdown, they pointed out.But there were many sceptics as well. They wondered whether gambling could be totally wiped out from the city. For, a well established mafia, with the blessings of politicians, bureaucrats, leaders of caste organisations and financiers, was involved in the multi-crore business, they argued.As a seasoned gambler put it, influential people like politicians, businessmen, doctors and police officers are regulars at a recreation club that is actually a gambling den in T Nagar, which is run by powerful groups from Andhra Pradesh.A senior police officer cited instances of the police having been forced to let off powerful officials caught gambling during raids after receiving calls from higher-ups. At other times, the cops were told to beat a retreat from clubs run by sons and daughters of politicians.A man well-versed with the nitty-gritty of the gambling trade dubbed it a multi-crore business run under the patronage of those in power. Some dominant caste groups of Andhra Pradesh and a few others in the State are running the industry, he claimed.“In a month, a club makes a minimum of `1 crore and customers like leading businessman from Mumbai, Delhi and a large number from Andhra Pradesh camp here to gamble,” said a client, adding that he had once seen a businessman from Mumbai walk in with `21 lakh at a leading club in T Nagar and gamble for a month till he lost everything.At the gambling table, the customer is king. The club takes care of all his needs, a police officer said. They collect a token fee of `1,000 for table registration from each client. After that, the club showers the customer with food, drinks and cigarettes free of cost, but ensures that he plays till he loses his last penny, the officer said. Among the clubs that were raided, a few also had massage facilities and even supplied women if requested, the officer added.Guzzling down liquor by the barrel isn’t the only enticement. Some gamblers said a few clubs lay out on the platter sumptuous food and tight security to attract rich customers. Even if such clubs look plain, clients are allowed to gamble anywhere between `6,000 to lakhs of rupees. “If you gamble for `1 lakh, you need to pay at least `80,000 at the reception, following which you would be allocated a table,” said a gambler.And if one ran out of the moolah, enter the financier, who would provide instant loans to customers. Gamblers are even allowed to pledge their vehicles.A senior police officer revealed another aspect of gambling. Black money and ill-gotten wealth of criminals and unscrupulous businessmen find their way to the tables. Clubs eagerly help them with such transactions. The officer added that the clubs serve as a meeting place for criminals to plot their activities.Police raids rarely happen because clubs have a nexus with the local police, who are paid off regularly, a police source said, adding that links with the police had emboldened criminals to now organise gambling sessions even in farmhouses on the East Coast Road and in lodges.The way forward? Form a special unit, just as the one the government set up in the case of land grabbing, the source suggested.
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