UDUPI
CEN police have registered a case against a man for allegedly running an illegal lottery scheme with chickens as prizes. The accused Manoj (31), from Shirva, allegedly conducted the lottery through a WhatsApp group. Police said the winner took home one chicken or 3kg of chicken meat.
Pavan Nayak, Sub-Inspector of CEN police station, in a complaint, stated that a tip-off was received on Nov 9 at 5 pm, stating an illegal lottery operation in Shirva village. The accused was allegedly using a WhatsApp group to organise a lucky draw, awarding chickens as prizes to earn money unlawfully. After informing department superiors, Nayak and station staff arrived near the Balaji Family Hotel in Shirva. Upon confirming Manoj’s involvement, they approached the shop. On seeing police personnel in uniform, the accused attempted to flee but was prevented.
According to police, during questioning, Manoj admitted to running a WhatsApp group called MJ Kattada Kori Lucky Draw, with 340 members. He charged each member Rs 200 via Google Pay and held draws where winners received chickens or cashback prizes.
Police recovered Rs 5,600 cash from him, along with two mobile phones containing messages and videos related to the lottery. Transactions through PhonePe and Google Pay were also identified. When asked about the draw tokens, the accused presented 17 coins and a plastic jar, which was later seized.
In addition to the cash and phones, police also seized a car allegedly used to transport chickens. A case has been registered under Section 7(3) of The Lotteries (Regulation) Act.
