Dhubri police on Saturday arrested five persons for their alleged involvement in illegal betting and gambling and seized some incriminating documents from their possession.
They were allegedly running a racket in Dhubri district in connivance with a ‘Teer’ gambling racket from the neighbouring state of Meghalaya.
Acting on specific input, a team of Dhubri police led by DSP Trinayan Bhuyan conducted a raid at Paglahat, Moterjhar and adjoining areas in Dhubri district and arrested Lal Mohan Roy 58, Milar Sangma, 35, Nur Hussain Ali, 26, Rana Kr Chand, 45, and Krishna Saha,33.
Police said all of them are residents of different villages in Kokrajhar and Dhubri districts.
“Teer” is a game of gambling commonly played in Meghalaya, where local archers assemble at an undisclosed location, usually on the Assam —Meghalaya border, and shoot at cylindrical targets made of bamboo thatch.
After having shot at the target for two-three minutes at a stretch, the number of arrows that hit the target is counted.
Gamblers place bets on numbers, which are inscribed on the targets. For each number starting from 01 to 99, the numbers of arrows that have hit it are counted.
Gamblers get their winnings on the basis of this count. The winning number is the one which has been hit the maximum number of times.
The popularity of the gambling game continues for decades as one can gain lucrative returns by investing very little. Bets as low as Re 1 can be placed. It also provides a source of livelihood for archers in villages across Meghalaya.