Police nab Teer gambler trio

GUWAHATI: Dispur Police on Wednesday nabbed a gang of three in connection with illegal betting and gambling and seized lakhs of rupees.
The trio was suspected to be running a racket here in connivance with a 'Teer' gambling racket from the neighbouring state of Meghalaya. They were identified as Narayan Roy, Sarmar Thapa and Goutam Roy.
Teer is a game of gambling commonly played in Meghalaya, where archery occupies an important place.In Teer, local archers assemble at an undisclosed location, usually on the Assam-Meghalaya border, and shoot at cylindrical targets made of bamboo thatch. After having shot at the target for two-three minutes at a stretch, the number of arrows that hit the target are counted. Gamblers place bets on numbers, which are inscribed on the targets. For each number, the number of arrows that have hit it are counted. Gamblers get their winnings on the basis of this count. The winning number is the one which has been hit the maximum number of times.
The popularity of the gambling game continues for decades as one can gain lucrative returns by investing very little. Bets as low as Re 1 can be placed. It also provides a source of livelihood for archers in villages across Meghalaya.
"Narayan was arrested near the office of the Commissioner of Police, Panbazar, with Rs 1 lakh when he came to bribe the commissioner. Upon questioning, Narayan identified Sarmar Thapa of Gausola and Goutam Roy of Krishna Nagar as his partners in the Teer gang. All three are being interrogated," a senior police official of the Guwahati (East) police district said.
Based on this revelation, police sleuths launched a search operation and seized Rs 1,24,000 from Narayan Roy's residence at Gotanagar along with documents related to Teer gambling. Police booked them under various sections of Assam Game and Betting Act and began interrogating them. Sources said the gang was collecting money from gamblers here through secretive counters near the highway sectors.