Goa casino director, crew attack ED team; confined in room
An Enforcement Directorate (ED) team was allegedly attacked at Cruise Casino Pride, an offshore casino in Goa, while conducting a search in connection with a money laundering investigation, TOI reported. The incident took place on Thursday afternoon, police said. The team, led by Assistant Director Poluri Chenna Kesava Rao, was reportedly confined and assaulted by the casino's director and staff members.
Casino director and staff charged with assaulting ED team
The Panaji police have booked the casino director Ashok Wadia and two senior staffers in the case. They have been booked under various sections of the BNS 2023, including assaulting a public servant, disobeying orders, threatening a public servant, confinement, and causing the disappearance of evidence. In his complaint, Rao explained that the search proceedings started peacefully on Wednesday without disturbing the casino's operations.
Uncooperative behavior and threats escalate situation
However, on Thursday, Wadia and another person, identified as Gopal Naik, allegedly barged into the search area without permission. Even after being shown the search authorization, Wadia refused to cooperate and accused the ED team of using fake documents. Rao further alleged that Naik threatened physical harm to the officers and claimed political connections that would protect him from repercussions.
ED team forcibly removed, evidence tampered with
The ED team was then forcibly removed from their search area and detained in another room by Wadia and his staff. They were reportedly forced to return electronic devices collected as evidence and delete data from them. The complaint also mentioned that unaccounted cash amounting to ₹4.3 lakh went missing during the incident. Goa Police spokesperson confirmed an FIR has been filed against Wadia and others involved in this latest incident at Casino Pride.
