Feature
Petrol pumps using electronic chips for fuel theft sealed by UP STF
Lucknow: In a surprise raid conducted by the Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh police at several petrol pumps in the state capital after getting inputs that some filling stations using electronic ship illegally for fuel theft.
The UP STF police busted a state-wide racket of pump owners who were using this chip in their petrol dispensing machines to dupe innocent consumers.
An electronic chip costing just Rs 3,000 gave a profit worth lakhs to petrol pump owners in the state.
The team members of STF identified eight such petrol pumps in the state capital and seized them late on Thursday evening for floating norms.
According to Assistant Superintendent of Police (STF) Arvind Chaturvedi said that on an informer’s tip-off the sleuths came to know about one Ravinder, who worked as an electrician in Lucknow.
Ravinder had developed a chip for just Rs 3,000 which if installed in the dispensing machine reduced the output by nearly 6%, Chaturvedi said, adding “the chip is attached with a wire which is linked with a remote control.”
Petrol pumps sealed for using chips for fuel theft by UP STF
He further informed that the STF sleuths that he sold this chip to over 1,000 petrol pump owners across UP.
At least eight pumps were raided in the city-three at Sitapur Road and one each in Cantonment, Chinhat at Kamta crossing, Samta Mulak crossing in Gomtinagar and KGMU.
All of them were found to be using the said chip. The STF team has recovered remotes from the managers of these petrol stations. Ravindra told media persons that he learned to develop the device from an engineer named Rahul.
A team member of STF explains, “The remote control is used to set the limit. If a customer takes 1 litre petrol from any station, in reality he receives only 940 ml if the dispensing machine is fitted with this chip. So, 60 ml goes into the account of the pump owner.”
The Senior Superintendent of Police (STF) Amit Pathak said several teams have been formed to raid in other parts of the states. “On an average, the petrol-pumps using this device were earning an undue profit Rs 14 lakh per month.”
The ADM (civil supplies), Alka Verma who was also present during raids, told media persons that an FIR for robbery and loot would be registered against the owners of petrol pumps using this device.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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