HYDERABAD: City-based casino organiser Chikoti Praveen was arrested by Pattaya police in Thailand on Sunday midnight in connection with a gambling case. Along with him, 90 other Indian nationals were also arrested during a midnight raid, including his business partner and BRS leader Madhav Reddy from Medak district and Medak District Cooperative Central Bank (DCCB) chairman Chitti Devendar Reddy.
Kumar is also under the scanner of Indian law enforcement agencies for alleged money laundering by running a casino.
According to reports, acting on a tip-off from detectives, Pattaya police busted the gambling racket operating from a casino in a hotel in Soi Pratumnak 4 in Pattaya. They found illegal circulation of over 418 million baht (Thai currency), which is equivalent to 'one billion.
Pattaya police confirmed that the racket was operated by a 32-year-old woman, Sitranan Kaewlor. She admitted that she charged Indian tourists 50,000 baht per person for accommodation, meals and transportation to the hotel where the casino operates. Police are verifying if she was working on the instructions of Praveen for his Indian clients.
She rented the space utilised for the casino for 120,000 baht. Inquiries revealed that she ran the illegal gambling facility from afternoon till early morning, ensuring that the hotel staff was denied permission to enter the room for cleaning purposes.
Her accomplices were fellow Thai Phakin, who provides equipment and a card dealer flown in directly from India.
Pattaya police confirmed that the police were proceeding with legal action against the 93 suspects on charges of gambling. Additional charges are being brought against the casino operators for employing migrant workers who were living without required work permits.
The tourists booked the hotel from April 27 till May 1 and were about to check out Monday morning but they were caught Sunday midnight and arrested.
Police also seized four Baccarat and three Black Jack tables along with 25 sets of cards, '1.60 lakh cash, 92 mobile phones, three notebook computers, three card dispensers and chips to be exchanged for cash later.
Praveen, who is known to organise gambling in Sri Lanka and Nepal along with Madhav Reddy, also owns a farm house at Kadthal on the city outskirts. It houses a mini-zoo that has rare and exotic animals.
In 2022, officials from the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) raided his house and the farmhouse suspecting money laundering. It was also alleged that he was in close association with several Bollywood actors and also politicians from both Telugu states.
In connection with his activities, minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav’s PA and cousin were also questioned by the ED, which took up investigation based on an earlier case registered by the Hyderabad city police when Praveen was caught gambling in 2017. ED sources confirmed that the investigation into the case is progressing.
