As police tighten vigil, Telangana punters slip into Andhra Pradesh

KHAMMAM: With the police having cracked the whip on cockfights, that has traditionally been part of Sankranti festivities, organisers and punters from Khammam and Bhadradri Kothagudem crossed over to bordering villages of AP where games were held despite orders.

A host of gambling events like Gundata, Andar-Bahar and Kodi Pandelu (cockfights) were organised in neighbouring villages of AP, interestingly by seasoned organisers from Telangana.“We don’t want to take a risk as police have intensified vigil. We cannot organise the games in a fearful atmosphere as people will not come forward to gamble,” said an organiser speaking to Express. He said ‘big money’ was involved in the game.

“We still have good contacts with relatives and friends in Andhra and we organised the games through them. WhatsApp messages were sent well in advance and venues were fixed in fields and open areas.”
Organisers from Telangana conducted Kallacheruvu, Kalirajigudem and Koppaka in West Godavari district and Tiruvur in Krishna district.

Organisers and punters from Sattupalli, Aswaraopet, Dammaipet, Kallur and Penubelli mandals in erstwhile Khammam districts went to AP villages to take part in the games, sources said, adding crores of rupees exchanged hands in three days of Sankranthi festivities.Techies from Hyderabad and Bengaluru, who are not from Telugu states, too, thronged villages to witness the cockfights and indulged in betting, sources said.