Casino owners and police 'hand in glove' in Biratnagar

Biratnagar: Champion Zone Pvt. Ltd., a casino located at Hotel Big in Biratnagar, was visited by a local businessman and his friends in the second week of June. During their visit, the businessman observed that not only were many Nepalis present, but there were also high school students playing at the casino.

He saw half-naked dancers and intoxicated connoisseurs of gambling. Although Nepalis are generally prohibited from entering casinos, there were many Nepalis inside. The businessman attempted to alert the police multiple times but received no immediate response. He eventually contacted DIG Chandrakuber Khapung, the police chief of Koshi Province, and reported the situation, emphasizing that Nepalis, including students, were in the casino, which he believed was against the rules.

DIG Khapung assured him that he would look into the matter. On the same day, the businessman tried to re-enter the casino around 9 p.m. but was stopped by a security guard, who mentioned that there was an order to prevent Nepalis from entering due to a rumored police raid. A police team conducted a raid around 10 p.m., leading to suspicions that DIG Khapung might have been involved in the casino's operations.

The businessman raised concerns with DIG Khapung, questioning if the situation was a setup. In response, DIG Khapung reprimanded him, suggesting he was discouraging businessmen without understanding the full context.

The businessman now believes there may be some corruption involved. Currently, Champion Zone Pvt. Ltd. and Samrat Casino Pvt. Ltd. are operating in Biratnagar's Big Hotel and Ratna Hotel, respectively. The casino at Big Hotel has recently been renovated, while Ratna Hotel's casino is under renovation and not operational. Both casinos state that they only admit individuals with Aadhaar cards or Indian identity cards.

However, local Marwari community leaders claim that lax police enforcement has led to addiction issues among young people from their community. Rakesh Surana, president of the Morang industry organization, has also heard that young people from industrial and commercial families frequently visit casinos and has received related complaints.

According to some police officials, Nepalis are entering casinos without interruption, and casinos are allegedly allowing manual card games despite rules permitting only automatic machines. There are accusations that casino operators are paying monthly bribes to the police.

Ramkrishna Gautam, the owner of Hotel Big's casino, denies allowing Nepalis, stating that they only admit those with Aadhaar cards. He mentioned that people from the Marwari community in Biratnagar go to casinos in Jhapa instead.

Deepak Gurung, director of Hotel Ratna's Samrat Casino, also claimed that Nepalis are not permitted in his casino. He noted that they only admit individuals with Indian identity cards and have no means to verify the authenticity of the cards.

According to the Casino Operation Regulations of 2013, companies seeking a casino license must pay a fee of NPR 1 million, with an additional NPR 500,000 required for casinos operating only with modern machines. The license fee is NPR 20 million for large casinos and NPR 10 million for small ones. Additionally, a bank guarantee equal to the prescribed one-year royalty amount is required, and Nepalis are prohibited from entering casinos.

DIG Khapung acknowledged receiving complaints about Nepalis in casinos and mentioned that measures are being taken to address the issue. He confirmed awareness of the situation and stated that further action would be considered.