Minister shielding high-stakes gambling racket 

Tadepalli, Dec 22: YSR Congress Party State Official Spokesperson Putta Siva Shankar Reddy demanded answers from the government over the brazen operation of a high-stakes gambling hub at Mango Recreation Club in Pothavarappadu outskirts of Agiripalli Mandal, Nuzvid constituency, Eluru district. Addressing the media at the party central office in Tadepalli, he questioned which minister is running the gambling den, why repeated complaints by local residents over the past 18 months were ignored, and how such an operation continued openly with apparent political protection.
He said police raids reportedly seized crores in cash along with over 120 cars and 50 bikes, yet the “yellow media” maintained a complete blackout, raising serious doubts. According to him, the club operated on a Goa-style token system, dividing players into Rs. 10,000, Rs. 50,000, Rs. 1 lakh and Rs. 5 lakh zones, drawing gamblers from neighbouring Telangana and extending large credit to entice them. He stated that club operators even threatened police, claimed High Court permissions, and publicly displayed boards, amounting to a mockery of the law, while complaints from nearby professionals went unheeded due to political backing.

Shankar demanded that the minister representing Nuzvid, along with Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, and Home Minister Anitha, come clean. He asked why a 108 ambulance was stationed at the gambling site, urged authorities to allow media access to the premises, disclose details of TDP leaders taken into custody, and shut down illegal gambling clubs statewide. Failing this, he warned, YSRCP will launch large-scale protests.