446 arrested over betting ahead of Champions Trophy

LAHORE:Lahore Police have intensified operations against gambling dens and online betting ahead of the cricket tri-nation series and Champions Trophy, arresting 446 suspects and registering 118 cases.

According to a police spokesperson, over Rs2.9 million were recovered from offenders this year. 152 arrests were made in City, 126 in Cantonment, 80 in Iqbal Town, 39 in Model Town, 31 in Saddar and 18 in Civil Lines areas. CCPO Bilal Siddique Kamyana said that operations were being ramped up to eliminate both physical and online gambling before the upcoming international cricket matches.

He directed officers to tighten surveillance on those involved in online betting and utilise information technology to track gambling networks. He also urged authorities to monitor social media platforms and apps promoting gambling, stressing that offenders would be brought to justice. Calling gambling a social menace, he advised the parents to closely monitor their children’s activities to prevent involvement in such practices.

Meanwhile, IGP Punjab, Dr Usman Anwar chaired a crime review meeting at the Central Police Office on Friday. Additional IG South Punjab Muhammad Kamran Khan, RPOs, DIG Operations Lahore, DIG Investigation Lahore, CPOs and DPOs attended the meeting via video link. The IGP reviewed the performance of districts in combating inter-provincial drug trafficking, organised gangs, and heinous crimes.

The RPOs and DPOs briefed the IGP on their performance in controlling organised crime. The meeting also discussed the centralisation of the police working system and expanding its scope at the provincial level to enhance the fight against organized crime.

At the district level, challenges concerning CIA human resources, logistics, transport, uniform SOPs, TORs, and other operational issues were discussed. The IGP directed the officers to establish a centralized database for tackling drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping, vehicle theft, as well as the arrest of proclaimed offenders and habitual criminals. He said with a provincial mechanism for organised crime control and effective coordination, there will be an improvement in eliminating organised crimes across all districts.

Punjab Police have increased its search and combing operations ahead of Tri-Nation Cricket Series, ICC Champions Trophy, and National Horse and Cattle Show. In this regard, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Punjab, Dr Usman Anwar ordered an increase in search and combing operations across the province, and the police conducted 427 operations during the last 24 hours and interrogated 17,207 individuals and detained 160 suspects and 60 proclaimed offenders (POs).