Archive · 17 Sep 2026
CCTV Networks Help Bhopal Gambling Dens Evade Police Raids
Some gambling dens in Bhopal are using many cameras to watch the roads around them.
The cameras can cover areas nearly one kilometre from the dens.
People watch the camera screens and warn gamblers when strangers or police are nearby.
Some cameras send pictures to mobile phones through Wi-Fi.
This gives gamblers time to run away and remove evidence.
Police used a drone and raided one den early in the morning to surprise them.
In another raid, officers arrested 24 gamblers.
Police later arrested den operator Rusi Khan, who had escaped during the first raid.
Gambling operators in Bhopal are using CCTV cameras across nearby roads, lanes and businesses to monitor police movement.
Camera feeds are monitored remotely through Wi-Fi-connected mobile phones and by people assigned to watch for suspicious activity.
Police uncovered the system during raids at gambling dens in Bajaria and the Kotwali area.
A drone reconnaissance operation and an early-morning raid helped Crime Branch officers catch gamblers before they could flee.
Police arrested 24 gamblers in one raid, while den operator Rusi Khan was later arrested after initially escaping.
- Who
- Gambling den operators, gamblers, Bhopal police, Crime Branch officers, and den operator Rusi Khan were involved.
- What
- Operators installed networks of CCTV cameras to detect police, rival groups and informers and to warn gamblers about raids.
- When
- The surveillance was uncovered during recent raids; a Kotwali-area raid occurred three days before the report, and Rusi Khan was arrested on Thursday.
- Where
- The raids took place in Bajaria and the Kotwali area of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- Operators used the cameras to evade police raids, protect their gambling operations and charge clients extra for security.
- Surveillance range
- Cameras were reportedly spread across nearly a one-kilometre radius around gambling dens.
- Technology used
- Cameras were connected through Wi-Fi to mobile phones for remote monitoring.
- Bajaria operation
- Crime Branch officers used drone reconnaissance and an early-morning raid to surprise those at the den.
- Kotwali arrests
- Police arrested 24 gamblers during a raid in the Kotwali area.
- Gambling fee
- Those questioned said people paid about Rs 500 per person to gamble at the dens.
- Rusi Khan
- Den operator Rusi Khan initially escaped but was arrested by Crime Branch officers on Thursday.
- Family arrests
- Rusi Khan's father Shafiq, mother and wife were arrested earlier at the site.