The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Crores at stake on cock fight betting

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Tuesday, Jan 15, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Crores at stake on cock fight betting

B.V.S. Bhaskar

An MLA wanted cock fights to be allowed, as his supporters had invested lakhs!

PEDDAPURAM (East Godavari Dt.): Three days ago an MLA rushed to the SP’s office and the official, B. Srinivasulu, thought that he might have come to request for the transfer of an SI or constable.

However, the SP’s guess was wrong. The MLA requested him to permit cock fighting in his village! He said that his supporters had invested lakhs of rupees on the birds but the local police were cracking down on them. Such is the importance attached to this illegal sport on which a lot of money is at stake.

Police bosses would have warned that cock fights would not be allowed this year and the Prevention Detention Act would be enforced on the persons organising these fights. But, it is a common warning every year and organising these fights in East and West Godavari districts is rampant.

On Sankranti day, the turnover in this illegal business crosses Rs.5 crore to Rs.6 crore in East Godavari district alone. Peddapuram, Prattipadu, Tuni, Jaggampeta, Samalkot, Kakinada, Boorugapudi, Gokavaram mandals are well-known for these cockfights.

“We know the organisers of cock fights. However, close relatives likes sons, brothers of MLAs and Ministers are directly betting in cock fights, which they justify as a ‘royal tradition’ in their families. If we arrest them, they come out in the next hour on recommendations from powerful relatives, which has become common in this district,” said a Sub-Inspector.

Curious angle

Another angle of the story is like this. The police, after catching the gangs, kept the cocks in the police station. About 150 to 200 cocks started making noise from Friday evening to Monday morning as the court was closed on account of second Saturday and Sunday.

“Feeding these cocks for two days is very difficult. Till they reached our station they were fed with dry fruits for the cock fight. We tried to feed them maize, which they would not partake,” said constable Srinivasulu.

In Kakinada, the rural area police caught a small gang and recovered Rs.5 lakh from them. The total recovery till Januarty 14 was around Rs.40 lakh in the district.

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