Buxar: Dumraon police on Thursday busted an illegal gambling den operating inside the defunct Santoshi cinema hall in Buxar town and arrested 16 people. During the raid, police seized over Rs 1.43 lakh in cash, 15 cellphones, three motorcycles and several decks of playing cards allegedly used for gambling.Dumraon SHO Sanjay Sinha said police had received specific information about gambling activities being run inside the abandoned cinema hall. After verifying the input, a police team carried out a raid. On seeing the police, several people attempted to flee, but the area was swiftly cordoned off and 16 people were apprehended on the spot.The seized cash, phones, motorcycles and playing cards have been taken into custody as evidence. The SHO said, “The arrested persons are being questioned to identify the kingpin behind the racket, trace other associates and ascertain how long the operation had been running.”An FIR has been registered against all 16 accused under relevant sections of law, and further investigation is underway. Police said further arrests may be made based on the interrogation and technical evidence collected during the probe.
