“No matka gamblers have been convicted till date,” he said.Recently, Goa police raided a major matka gambling den in Pernem where 11 persons were arrested and Rs 60 lakh in cash seized. He said that legalizing the practice could be one way to control the matka trade. In a PIL filed by social activist Kashinath Shetye before the high court of Bombay at Goa, he had alleged that there was a nexus between the police and matka operators.Interestingly, senior BJP MLA Francis D’Souza has questioned why matka could not be legalized if gambling on casinos was permitted. PORVORIM: The Goa government may have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate matka gambling, but Goa police has failed to get even a single conviction in the state for matka gambling, chief minister Manohar Parrikar informed the state legislative assembly on Friday.Responding to a question raised by St Andre MLA Francisco Silveira on the issue, Parrikar said in a written reply that in the St Andre constituency alone, 42 individuals were arrested for their role in matka gambling and 41 cases registered since 2015. The raid was conducted by a team of district police without informing the local police station at Pernem and Siolim, fueling suspicions that there was a nexus between local police officials and the kingpins of matka gambling.Goa police has periodically conducted raids and nabbed individuals for their role in matka, including in the capital city where matka operators operate openly.
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