The Tiruchengode town police on Thursday morning arrested 20 people, including one woman, for gambling at a local residence and seized Rs 4 lakh in cash. The raid took place at the house of Jayanthi, a resident of Tiruchengode, after receiving specific intelligence about regular gambling involving people from Salem, Erode, Namakkal, and Dharmapuri districts.
The police team, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Krishnan, raided the house around 2:30 AM. While 20 individuals were detained, two others — Veppadai Sakthivel and Lokeswaran — managed to escape. Authorities have launched a manhunt for the duo.
Among the arrested were Damodaran (27), a murder accused from Tiruchengode; several individuals from Puducherry, Salem, Erode, Dharmapuri, and Tiruchengode itself. The police also seized four two-wheelers and two cars.
In a related development, Tiruchengode town inspector Venkatraman has been reassigned to the armed reserve police for failing to take action against gambling activities in the town center.
The arrested suspects have been lodged in Tiruchengode sub-jail under judicial custody, and further investigations are ongoing.
