Twenty three police officers in Kerala are getting a reward of Rs 9 lakh for catching a gang of gamblers in 2017. The Angamaly judicial first class magistrate has in its order said that according to the Kerala Gaming Act (amended in 1973), 50% of the amount caught from the gamblers can be awarded to the police personnel who caught them.
Ernakulam Rural Police Chief Karthick K has released an order announcing the cash award and naming the police personnel who would be getting the reward.
“The incident happened in October 2017. The police got information of a gang of gamblers playing cards in a club in Aluva. As many as 23 police officials caught 33 people gambling with playing cards and seized an amount of nearly Rs 18 lakh, along with the cards, tables and other furniture. The police investigated and filed the charge sheet and the accused were convicted later on,” Karthick tells TNM.
Section 18 of the Kerala Gaming Act says that the magistrate can 'direct any portion not exceeding one half of any fine which shall be levied under section 3, 4, 7 or 8 and of the moneys or proceeds of articles seized and ordered to be forfeited under section 10 to be paid to informants and police officers who may have assisted in the detection of the offender. A direction under this sub-section may also be made by any court of appeal, reference or revision'.
The section also says that the concerned magistrate shall send the amount to the District Superintendent of Police who shall distribute the money among the informants and police officers 'in such proportions as he thinks fit'.
SP Karthick decided that every police officer who was involved in the investigation deserves an equal share of the reward. So all 23 police officers in the team that caught the gamblers are getting a reward of Rs 39,130 each.
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