Feature
Kolkata hit-and-run: Police detains third accused
Kolkata: In the hit-and-run case in which an IAF officer Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud died during a rehearsal of Republic Day parade in Kolkata, Police grilled the third accused in the case.
Johnny is the third person to be arrested in the case after Shanu alias Sahanawaz was held from New Delhi on Sunday night and prime accused Sambia Sohrab was nabbed by the police on late Saturday night.
“Johnny was arrested in the early hours of the day from the city. Both Johnny and Shanu are being presented before a court where we are seeking their custody,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Debasish Boral told.
Sambia, son of former RJD MLA Mohammad Sohrab, is alleged to have broken through police barricades before fatally knocking down Indian Air Force Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud with his Audi car on January 13 morning on the Indira Gandhi Sarani.
Both Shanu and Johnny are said to be accompanying him on the night before Sambia allegedly mowed down Gaud who was supervising the Republic Day parade rehearsals.
Shanu, who was brought to the city by police on Monday night, claimed Sambia to be the driving the car. Also, in a video posted on Youtube, Johnny claimed that Sambia was heavily drunk and that he had a brawl with the friends before he allegedly knocked down Gaud.
In the video, Jonny had claimed that he and Shanu were in another car following Sambia who was in his Audi. He also claimed that that his car was stopped by the police from entering the Indira Gandhi Sarani which was out of bound for civilian traffic for the Republic Day parade rehearsals.
“It was only in the morning we found out that all this happened and came to know that the police was looking for us,” said Johnny in the video.
Accused of several offences including murder, Sambia who was arrested four days after the accident, is now under police custody. The prosecution has also accused him of hitting another soldier before ramming his car into Gaud.
Police have also issued a look-out notice for Sambia’s father Mohammad Sohrab and brother Ambia who are still missing and untraced.
The case has created a political storm with the opposition parties claiming that police delayed Sambia’s arrest as his father was a leader of West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress.
However, the Trinamool has denied its links with Sohrab and pointed to the fact that he had become a state legislator in 2005 with support from the Communist Party of India-Marxist led Left Front.
The Indian Air Force, which is also probing the matter, too earlier claimed “vested interests” were thwarting the probe.
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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