Feature
Four suspected terrorists arrested in Haridwar
New Delhi:Delhi Police has arrested four suspected terrorists — reportedly linked with the Islamic State terror outfit — from Haridwar in Uttarakhand for plotting attacks in the capital and nearby areas.
The four suspects — Akhlaq ur Rehman, Mohammad Osama alias Adil, Mohammad Azimu Shaan and Mehraj — were arrested on Tuesday based on specific information by central intelligence agencies.
“All the suspects belong to Haridwar from where they were arrested on Tuesday. We produced them in a court in Delhi today (Wednesday) which sent them to 15 days police custody,” said Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Arvind Deep.
The suspects had plans to carry out bombings during the ongoing Ardh Kumbh in Haridwar, in Roorkee-Haridwar bound trains, in Delhi and some parts of the National Capital Region (NCR).
The Ardh-Kumbh started on January 1 this year and will end on April 30. During the four-month religious congregation, over five crore pilgrims are expected to visit the district to bathe in the holy Ganga river.
On the first major bathing day on January 14, close to 10 lakh devotees took a dip in the Ganga.
Police claimed that the arrested people were in touch with Shafi Armar, who handles recruitment for Ansar Al Twahid, the Indian offshoot of the terror group.
“We got an input from intelligence agencies that some people are planning attacks on Roorkee-Haridwar bound trains and some other locations in Haridwar and NCR,” Arvind Deep said.
The official said a specific team including police inspectors Neli and Hridaynath was set up under the supervision of Additional Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar and Deputy Commissioner of Police P.S. Kushwah and they thwarted a possible attack after the arrest of the four people.
Deep said further investigation was on to unearth the whole plot.
The officer also praised Uttar Pradesh Police for helping them in the operation.
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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