Sullia: Police seized a large quantity of Kerala state lottery tickets from a man who was allegedly transporting them for resale at inflated prices and registered a case under the Lottery Regulation Act. The seizure was made following a tip-off received by the police regarding illegal lottery ticket movement across the border.
The accused has been identified as Cibi M L (58), a resident of Chambu village, Balembi post, Madikeri. According to police, he was intercepted while travelling on a motorcycle and found carrying a bulk number of lottery tickets of different denominations.
Interception near Kallugundi outpost
Police said the operation was carried out based on specific intelligence inputs about lottery tickets being transported for unauthorised resale. Acting on the information, a team kept watch near the Kallugundi outpost and stopped the suspect vehicle on February 2 for inspection.
During the check, officers found a large bundle of Kerala state lottery tickets in the possession of the rider. On verification, the tickets were counted and documented on the spot as part of the seizure procedure.
Officials said the accused could not produce valid authorisation for selling the tickets in the area where he was intercepted, leading to immediate action.
Over 1,200 tickets recovered
According to police records, a total of 1,220 Kerala state lottery tickets of various denominations were recovered from the accused. The combined face value of the tickets is estimated at around Rs 72,000.
Purchase receipts were also found along with the tickets, which indicated that they had been procured from Bandadka in Kerala. Investigators suspect that the tickets were being transported across the border to be sold in Sampaje at higher-than-approved prices.
Police said the resale of state lottery tickets outside permitted channels and at inflated rates amounts to a violation under the relevant lottery regulation laws.
Items seized for investigation
Apart from the lottery tickets, police also seized the accused’s mobile phone and the motorcycle used for transportation. These items will be examined as part of the ongoing investigation to determine whether others were involved in the procurement or planned distribution network.
Call records, purchase trails and movement details will be analysed to establish the source chain and intended points of sale. Officers indicated that further action may follow if links to a larger resale network are found.
The accused was taken in for questioning and booked after preliminary verification of the materials recovered during the interception.
Case registered under Lottery Regulation Act
A case has been registered at the police station under Section 7(iii) of the Lottery Regulation Act, 1998, which deals with offences related to unauthorised sale and distribution of lottery tickets. Police said the provision enables seizure and prosecution where lottery rules are violated.
Officials noted that while state-run lotteries are legal within the issuing state under regulated conditions, their cross-border sale and unauthorised resale can attract legal action depending on local enforcement rules and licence requirements.
Police teams in border regions periodically conduct checks based on intelligence inputs to prevent illegal lottery circulation and protect consumers from overpricing and fraud.
Enforcement to continue
Police said such enforcement drives will continue in border areas to monitor unlawful movement and resale of lottery tickets. Authorities also advised the public to purchase lottery tickets only from authorised sellers and at printed prices.
Further investigation is underway to verify the distribution route and any possible accomplices connected to the seized tickets. Additional legal steps will be taken based on the findings of the probe.