Chikoti Praveen, an infamous name in India due to his activities in casinos and gambling, has been caught in a major raid by police in Thailand. He was one among at least 83 Indian tourists caught during the raid. The arrest took place in early hours of Monday (May 1) at Asia Pattaya Hotel in Bang Lamung District. Chikoti Praveen had raked in more than 12 million dollars from a makeshift casino set up in the hotel’s convention centre.
Chikoti is a notorious organiser of gambling ventures which straddle Big Daddy in Goa to casinos in Nepal. He had flown in gamblers from southern Indian city of Hyderabad to his makeshift casino in the Thai hotel.
Thai police chief Pol Maj-Gen Kampol Leelaprahphporn was quoted in media reports as saying that a logbook of gambling credits worth more than 12 million dollars was seized from the hotel
As reported in the media, Thai police seized gambling chips worth more than 2 million USD. They also foud 25 sets of cards, three blackjack tables, four baccarat tables, 92 mobile phones, eight CCTV cameras, three computers and thousands of Indian rupees.
“We received a tip-off that several tourists from India had checked into the hotel on Saturday and were scheduled to check out on Monday. We were also told that the convention hall of the hotel was turned into a makeshift casino for the tourists. Sitranan Kaewlor, 32, confessed that she was in charge of the accommodation and gambling venue. She said that the Indian tourists were charged 50,000 Baht each and that a room for gambling was rented for 1,20,000 Baht, which was open from 1 p.m. to 6 a.m and hotel staff were not allowed to enter the room,” said Thai police chief as quoted by The Hindu.
Chikoti Praveen is already a marked man by probe agencies in India. He is under investigation by Enforcement Directorate. He faces allegations of violation of foreign exchange rules.
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