Andhra gamblers spread tentacles in Tiruvallur district

Feeling the heat from the Andhra Pradesh police, gangs running illegal gambling units in that state have now shifted to Tiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu to continue with their operations. After the police from the neighbouring state started cracking down on illegal gambling groups operating in areas bordering Tamil Nadu, the criminal gambling gangs have now trooped to Tiruvallur, a suburb of Greater Chennai. Residents in areas like Arambakkam, which is close to Tada on the Andhra Pradesh border, are now bearing the after effects of police inaction against these gangs. 

The gangs are so emboldened that they operate even in open spaces and convert them into gambling centres. What worries the city police more is that the criminal gangs based in Chennai, especially youngsters who take to alcohol and drugs, are ganging up in large numbers here and hatch plans for dacoity and murder. 

“These gambling centres have turned out to be a meeting point for various criminal gangs. Many crimes that are committed in the city are planned at these gambling spots. We have found out that the local police are  hand-in-glove with the gambling centre operators,” a police official attached to the city police told DTNext. 

According to sources, at least four to five Andhra Pradesh-based gambling gangs are active in the area and they operate the centres with the help of local goons. 

“Several lakhs of rupees change hands at these centres and trouble between the gambling gangs are common. This has now become a big law and order issue in the region. This will also affect the development of these areas which have now become a natural extension of Chennai city,” a resident said. 

The residents, many of them working in software and BPO companies based out of Ambattur and nearby areas, say that they fear to travel during night hours because of the trouble created by these gangs. “When they have more customers, they even put tables in open areas and gamble openly. This issue has been brought to the notice of local police, but no action had been taken,” another resident said.