The Tribune, September 1, 1999
Gang cheats people through lottery
From Our Correspondent
PANIPAT, Aug 31 — Innocent people and labourers, particularly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are being cheated near the Panipat railway station, under the Assandh road fly-over, and this is going on unchecked.
A group comprising eight persons urge people to buy lottery tickets. Their modus operandi is that a bag containing blank and prize-marked chits costing Rs 2 each is kept with them. The customer is asked to take out a handful of chits from the bag. The cheater holds the hand of the customer, opens it and separates the blank and prize-marked chits.
Some chits are marked with the name of the prize — electric press, electric oven, toaster, sewing machines, etc, approximately costing Rs 100 to Rs 500 each. The blank prize chits are counted and the total amount at the rate of Rs 2 per chit is asked to be deposited by the customer before he is entitled to the prize. The poor customer does not possess so much amount and whatever money he possesses is snatched.
Some musclemen also stand nearby and in case of resistance from a customer, they tackle the issue.
The matter has been reportedly brought to the notice of law enforcement agencies like the RPF, the GRP, local police and the CID but no effective steps appear to have been taken to stop the crime. An official of one of the law enforcement agencies, who did not wish to disclose his name, stated that the action was taken against the alleged cheaters, but for want of evidence they were released.
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