BHAKTAPUR: Police on Wednesday arrested 12 persons on the charge of illegal gambling at a grocery in Khadka Gaun of Surya Vinayak Municipality-10 in Bhaktapur district.

The arrested have been identified as Bishal Khadka (34), Basudev Khadka (40), Raghunath Khadka (49), Hari Khadka (40) and Gyanendra Khadka (30), all the local residents.

In the raid carried out at the grocery, Kiran Thapa (48), Sundar GC (37), Rajan Thapa (32),  Gokarna Karki (27), Sahadev Thapa (48), Radha Krishna Mahat (40) and Ankur Thapa (50) all hailing from Banepa Municipality in Kavrepalanchok district, were also arrested.

Acting on a tip-off a team of police deployed from the Jagati-based Metropolitan Police Circle had raided the shop operated by Bishal Khadka and arrested the gamblers red-handed, according to police.

Police confiscated Rs 120,400 cash from the site, informed Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Krishna Prasai at the Metropolitan Police Range, Bhaktapur.

Meanwhile, the detainees are kept under investigation, police informed.