Himachal: Police team held hostage during raid, five booked

Shimla, July 28

A police team that raided a shop in Una district to bust a gambling den was allegedly held hostage for some time by five persons, officials said on Friday.

Following the incident, the BJP lashed out at the ruling Congress for letting the law and order in the district become a “puppet in the hands of hooligan elements”.

The police raided the shop near the Himachal Pradesh-Punjab border in the Santokgarh area on Thursday following a tip-off regarding a gambling den being run there, the officials said.

Once the team entered the shop and started looking for evidence, three persons engaged them in an altercation while two persons dropped the shutter from outside and locked it.

The cops were left trapped for around 20 minutes with the three accused until another police team came and released them, they added.

A case was registered against the five persons under Sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 186 (obstructing public servant from discharging his duty) and 34 (joint liability) of the Indian Penal Code, the police said.

All the accused were arrested on Friday and later released on bail, they added.

The Una police have been tightening the noose on the gamblers for the past seven months, during which 135 related FIRs have been registered and a fine of Rs 4.5 lakh has been collected, the officials said.

Meanwhile, the BJP MLA from Una, Satpal Satti, Friday said that the law and order situation in the district is in peril due to the interference of the ruling party and the mafia taking control.

Calling the latest incident “disgusting”, Satti said the law and order in the area has become a “puppet in the hands of hooligan elements”.

The BJP leader said his party would oppose the growth of mafia power under the Congress rule in several parts of the state, including Una.