VIJAYAWADA: Cracking the whip against illegal activities in the district ahead of the three-day Sankranti festival, which is to be celebrated from January 14 to 16, the Krishna Police has destroyed cockfight rings arranged in various parts of the district.
In a press release issued here on Thursday, superintendent of police (SP) Siddharth Kaushal said police won’t spare any individual who conducts cockfights and harasses wildlife in the name of tradition. He warned of filing criminal cases against youngsters indulging in anti-social activities.
“Police with the support of locals and the help of bulldozers plowed 52 arenas readied for cockfights in various parts of the district. Notices were issued to the organisers of big arenas,” the superintendent of police said and added that awareness drives have been taken up to create awareness among the public.
As part of a precautionary measure, police have conducted surprise checks on gambling and cockfight arenas from January 1 to 12. A total of 1,423 cases were registered and 2,896 were taken into custody. A sum of Rs 13.98 lakh has been recovered from them.
Apart from that, police have also seized 126 roosters, 1,306 rooster knives, 96 two-wheelers, two auto-rickshaws, three cars, 22 cell phones, one electric motor and other equipment used for preparing the arenas.
“We also identified 1,209 persons involved in gambling and cockfights in the past. We have filed bind over cases against them in 1,011 cases in advance”, Siddharth Kaushal said.