In a midnight operation, the police busted an illegal casino operating in a leading hotel in Ooty and detained 30 gamblers. The detained persons were believed to be hailing from Goa.

Sources said that the Tamil Nadu police acted on a tip-off about an illegal casino that was functioning at Hotel Sinclairs in Doddabetta.

On Friday evening, a group of 37 persons landed at the Coimbatore airport and headed to Ooty in three vans. The police, who were being updated about the group on a regular basis by an informer, tracked the ‘tourists’ on a real-time basis. Late on Friday, the police sent decoys to the hotel to verify if a casino was functioning there.

Vigil maintained

A police striking force maintained vigil outside the hotel. After confirming that the gamblers were inside, the police team went in and took them into custody.

The police suspect that one van comprising seven other gamblers had headed to another destination in the district. They are trying to trace the vehicle using CCTV footage.

“The illegal gambling was being conducted on a large scale and on a regular basis. It attracted people from outside the State,” an officer said, on condition of anonymity.

Further investigations are on.