Local authorities in Tamil Nadu, India, are cracking down on criminal networks selling lottery tickets illegally in the Thoothukudi district.
Several such cases have been busted across a number of towns within the district, including Tiruchendur and Sawyerpuram after coordinated investigations between police forces, The Hindu Times reported.
According to the media outlet, Thoothukudi’s Police Superintendent, Abishek Gupta, said that all Deputy Superintendents and Inspectors in the region are keeping a close eye on other lottery-related illegal activities.
Still, police forces have urged the public to submit reports with information on similar suspicious undertakings, with the offenders caught so far in Thoothukudi apprehended with the help of informant tip-offs.
One such signal led to the arrest of an allegedly illegal retailer in Southern Thoothukudi, where they were taken in with slips containing number combinations and around
According to sources from Thoothukudi police, the offenders are apprehended based on the specific intelligence inputs and tip-offs from the informants.
In one such case under the Thoothukudi South Police station limits, the illegal sale was reported in Levingipuram, where the alleged offender was arrested with slips containing number combinations, and around ₹10k (£77) on their person.
Unlike its neighbouring state of Kerala, lotteries were banned in Tamil Nadu in 2003 under then-Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. This has in turn created a black market demand, with illegal lottery networks being set up to move lottery tickets into the state.
However, the illegal lottery market does not end with retail, as some affiliated actors are also turning to digital sales, The Hindu Times concluded.