CEN Police have filed a case against Manoj, a 31-year-old from Shirva, for allegedly running an illegal lottery scheme with chickens as prizes. The lottery was conducted via a WhatsApp group, where participants could win either a chicken or 3 kg of chicken meat.
On November 9, police received a tip-off about the operation around 5 pm. The information led them to Shirva village, where the accused was using the WhatsApp group named “MJ Kattada Kori Lucky Draw” with 340 members. Each participant paid Rs 200 through Google Pay to enter, with winners taking home chickens or receiving cashback.
At 6 pm, police located Manoj near Balaji Family Hotel in Shirva. Upon seeing the officers, Manoj attempted to flee, but was apprehended. During questioning, he confessed to organizing the lottery and provided details about the operation.
Police seized Rs 5,600 in cash, two mobile phones containing evidence of the lottery transactions, and a car that was allegedly used for the scheme. The phones contained videos and messages related to the lottery, and transactions were made through Google Pay and PhonePe. Additionally, 17 coins and a plastic jar used for the lottery tokens were also seized.
Manoj has been arrested, and further investigations are underway.