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REPORT: Goa’s Casino Pride Staff Assault ED Officials

Reports online have emerged of a rather unexpected situation onboard one of India’s leading offshore casinos. We’re talking about the Casino Pride floating casino in Goa’s River Mandovi, which has been a favourite for gamblers across the country for many years now. However, this recent news development isn’t good news for the casino. 

Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials had apparently flown in from Karnataka last Wednesday for a mandated search on Casino Pride. The ED usually comes into the picture for potential investigations into money laundering and violations of foreign exchange laws. However, their search at Casino Pride saw resistance from staff members, who mistook the officials for conmen. 

The ED officials were there to examine documents and financial data of Casino Pride, a casino which is owned and operated by the Pride Group in Goa. The staff is said to have assaulted the ED officials, which led to the latter having to call for assistance from state police, as per local media reports.

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As per a further report on Times of India, an FIR was filed by Panaji Police under sections 132 (assaulting a public servant), 223 (disobeying a public servant), 224 (threatening a public servant), 127 (confinement), 238 (causing disappearance of evidence), read with 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023. 

ED Assistant Director Poluri Chenna Kesava Rao initiated the investigations into Casino Pride. He mentioned that the team carried out the proceedings peacefully along with 3 independent witnesses, without causing any harm, injury, or insult, to the team present at the premises.  

A team of ED officers went to raid an offshore casino in Goa. They were kidnapped & not allowed to leave by the management 🤣 Why in the actual heck is the national media silent? Casino Pride by the way! I’m still laughing.

— HermanGomes_journo (@Herman_Gomes) December 15, 2024

“During the course of the search, certain incriminating material in the form of electronic devices, loose sheets, books, documents, and cash were found and kept under the custody of the investigation team,” said Rao. On Thursday, Casino Pride Director Ashok Wadia and a person called ‘Naik’ entered the premises without permission of the ED office present.

What followed was yelling and threatening in front of staff members and customers alike. “Naik started threatening us that we wouldn’t let us leave the premises easily and also from Goa and would physically harm all officers accompanying me. He also claimed that he had political connections in Goa and Delhi and nobody could touch him.”

They forcibly evicted the officers from the premises and detained the officers in a room onboard the casino. Evidence was destroyed and as per Rao, his handwritten notes were also torn by Wadia. Unaccounted cash worth Rs.4+ Lakh which was kept for verification also disappeared from the premises later.

The staff attempted to snatch the phones of the ED officers when they were trying to call for additional assistance. And finally when they made the calls, they forced them to put it on loudspeaker, so the conversations could be heard by all. On Friday, Ashok Wadia, Gopal Naik, Arti Raja, some other unidentified staff were booked by Panaji Police and for all future updates from this story, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com. 

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