Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: In a major crackdown on illegal matka gambling in the state, the Crime Branch of Goa Police has identified Mumbai-based woman Jaya Chadda as one of the main operators behind the betting syndicate.
Chadda, along with two others—Chandubhai Thakkar alias D’sa and Ganeshyam Bhai, both residents of Ahmedabad, Gujarat—has been named in FIRs registered after a coordinated operation across several locations in Goa.
The Crime Branch conducted multiple raids in Panjim, Mapusa, Porvorim, Margao, Vasco, Ponda, Mandrem, and Pernem, leading to the arrest of 12 local bookies and the seizure of cash and gambling paraphernalia.
The arrested individuals include Ramchandra Bind (50) from Vasco, Balappa Talwar (55) from Fatorda, Ali Sheikh (28) from Reis Magos, Karmaraj Kumar (25) from Mandrem, Prakash Takekat (46) from Ponda, Gangappa Lamani (40) from Margao (a native of Karnataka), Jeremiyas Nayak (41) from Betim, Dhananjay Warade (69) from Mapusa, Parshuram Madar (26) from Ponda, Anilkumar Suryawanshi (37) from Canca, Arif Mulugund (32) from Betim, and Navnat Kashelkar (51) from Pernem.
The police have also named 12 alleged agents and handlers in the FIRs, identified by their first names—Anna, Paresh, Subhash, Nilesh, Mousin, Gulzar, Appu Tiwari, Narayan Parab, Somnath, Bharat, Ramesh, and Amresh—who are suspected to have worked under the main operators.
Twelve separate FIRs have been registered under Section 11(2)(a) of the Goa Public Gambling Act and Section 112 read with 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
A senior Crime Branch official stated that the arrests and seizures are part of a wider investigation aimed at dismantling the interstate matka gambling network.
“The involvement of key figures from outside Goa, especially from Mumbai and Gujarat, reveals the scale of the operation. We are following leads to identify more players in the syndicate,” the official added. The investigation is ongoing.
