Kathmandu, September 23

With the arrival of festive season, police have stepped up crackdown on gambling in Kathmandu Valley. Gambling is common during Dashain and Tihar, with many houses, pubs, bars, hotels and restaurants, and street corners turning into gambling sites.

SSP Rabindra Bahadur Dhanuk, in-charge at Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu, said crackdown on gambling to maintain law and order in society was among top priorities in their security plan for the festivals.

Police raided a Gongabu-based rented room of Lok Bahadur Gurung, 28, of Dhading and arrested four persons, including him, for gambling. Police also seized Rs 109,000 cash and playing cards, among other gambling materials, from the room.

On Wednesday, police arrested 10 gamblers from the premises of Pachali Bhairav temple in Teku and confiscated Rs 640,000 cash and 16 units of kauda from them.

All of them have been booked under the Gambling Act, 1963. According to police, the law is, however, not tough enough to punish gamblers and operators of gambling dens as they easily get off the hook by paying a meagre fine of Rs 200 and four-day police detention.

After police intensified vigil on casinos to curb the entry of Nepali gamblers there, the number of people visiting casinos has decreased. However, casino frequenters have started covertly operating gambling dens in hotels, restaurants and houses, according to police.

Bearing this in mind, police have stepped up raids on houses and huts that could potentially be used as gambling dens in the Valley.

According to police, gambling and crimes are interlinked as gamblers are more likely to commit crimes to satiate their addiction to gambling. Crimes are also likely to occur at gambling venues over betting. Retired government employees, businesspersons and contractors top the chart of gamblers, according to police.