A vacant room in the premises of the Railway Police Headquarters in Pune's Khadki has become a hotspot for illegal gambling activities.
The room, which has been vacant for a long time, is being used by the gamblers in broad daylight and even at night. The room is equipped with a light, a ceiling fan, a table and a chair, which are being used by these gamblers.
The story gets worse as liquor bottles and cigarette packets are found scattered all over the room, painting a grim picture of what really goes on inside. The scene is far from what one would expect inside a government facility, let alone a police headquarters.
According to the sources, the illegal activity has been flourishing with the hidden support of certain senior officials within the department who have been deployed in the headquarters.
Sources added that the gamblers are paying between ₹25,000 and ₹50,000 per month as "protection money" to the deployed official to continue running their operations from a vacant room inside the police quarters.
On the basis of anonymity, an official speaking to The Free Press Journal, said, “The situation is even more alarming as the same premises also house a storage area for weapons and ammunition. Such illegal activity in government premises is a threat to ammunition safety."
Ashwini Sanap, Superintendent of Lohmarg Police Station, speaking to FPJ, said, "We will definitely look into the matter and action will be taken accordingly against the culprits."
However, this is not the first illegal activity at the Khadki Railway Police Headquarters.
On June 29, 2024, The Free Press Journal team highlighted how 35 mature green trees were chopped at the Pune Railway Police Headquarters in Khadki without obtaining the necessary permissions from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and were sold illegally in January 2024. This incident came to light when PMC officials inspected on January 29 after a complaint.
According to the PMC report, 35 trees had been cut down in January unofficially without a permit.
