Police in the Barpali block of Bargarh district raided a major gambling den inside the Grindela forest near Baramkela on Wednesday evening.
Acting on a tip-off, officers stormed the site and seized ₹1,09,380 in cash, 15 motorcycles, and two cars. Sixteen gamblers were arrested during the operation.
The arrested individuals hail from different villages. They include Sadashiv Meher, Khirendra Bag, Nirmal Padhaan, Upendra Rana, Pradeep Jhankar, Gopalakrishna Sahu, Lambedhar Bhoi, Hembanta Garia, Manabendra Nag, Keshab Sahu, Sudam Sathua, Sunil Bharadwaj, Shyam Seth, Dr Pradhan, Anil Rehidas, and Mahendra Rehidas.
Police registered Case No. 149 and forwarded the accused to court. Officials confirmed that the crackdown aimed to curb rising gambling activities in the region.
