In a crackdown against gamblers, the Chandigarh Police has arrested eight persons from Manimajra and claimed to have recovered Rs 41,790 in cash along with 104 playing cards from their possession. The arrests were made after Head Constable Jagminder Singh and his team from the police station in Manimajra were on patrol duty on Friday, police said. Acting on a tip-off, the police team raided the area near Baba Garments in the main market, Manimajra, and apprehended the accused while they were allegedly gambling in a public place. Those arrested have been identified as Kamal (44), Sajjad (44), Ghanshyam (50), Rajat (30), Manoj Kumar (44), Naheem (29), Sajjad Ali alias Tahid (43), and Mohammad Akram (30). All the accused are residents of Manimajra, Panchkula, and Mauli Jagran, a police official said. A case under Section 13(3)(67) of the Gambling Act has been registered at the police station in Manimajra. The accused were arrested and later released on bail the same day. The police have taken the recovered cash and playing cards into possession and are further investigating the matter. The police probe revealed that some of the arrested individuals have a criminal history. Kamal, Rajat, and Manoj have previously been booked in similar gambling-related cases, while Rajat was also involved in a case under Sections 302 (murder) of the IPC registered at the same police station in 2016. The rest of the accused — Naheem, Sajjad Ali, Mohammad Akram, Sajjad, and Ghanshyam — do not have any prior criminal history. A senior police official said the crackdown is part of an ongoing drive to curb illegal gambling activities across the city. “Strict action will continue against such offenders to maintain law and order,” he added.
