Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Police have seized Rs 2.25 crore in cash and 1,900 lottery tickets from the residence of Nagaraj (42), a cashier at a lottery agency in Walayar, Palakkad district.
The raid was conducted on the orders of Coimbatore District Superintendent of Police, K. Karthikeyan.
Karumathampatti Police carried out the operation as part of an investigation into the sale of banned lottery tickets in Tamil Nadu.
Over 30 raids were conducted across suburban areas of Coimbatore, including Pollachi, Valparai, Annur, and Karumathampatti.
Eight special teams were formed to carry out these raids.
During the search of Nagaraj’s residence, the police seized Rs 2 lakh in banned Rs 2,000 currency notes.
Authorities revealed that Nagaraj was selling Kerala government lottery tickets illegally in the Tiruppur and Pollachi areas.
Despite a statewide ban on the sale of Kerala government lottery tickets outside the state, agents have been conducting brisk business across Tamil Nadu.
These operations often involve betting on the last digits of the lottery numbers.
The police noted that the sale of illegal lottery tickets is at an all-time high in both urban and rural areas of Coimbatore.
Suburban regions, in particular, have become hotspots for these operations. Police sources reported that illegal operators conduct lotteries multiple times a day using results from Kerala and Nagaland lotteries.
Number-based lotteries using the last one, three, or four digits of official Kerala lottery tickets are typically drawn at noon and 2 p.m.
Similarly, lotteries using Nagaland tickets are conducted at 12 p.m., 3 p.m., 6 p.m., and 8 p.m.
These rackets often share betting numbers via WhatsApp groups, allowing participants to choose and pay for numbers.
After the official lottery results are announced, the rackets declare their own results and payouts based on the winning numbers.
In November, the Coimbatore City Police, in coordination with the Coimbatore Rural Police, conducted a crackdown on illegal lottery operators.
During the operation, authorities seized Rs 45.8 lakh, arrested 27 individuals, and registered six cases.
The police have identified several high-profile figures connected to the illegal lottery trade and have vowed to intensify their crackdown on the illegal lottery trade in the state.
(IANS)
