Published on: December 16, 2024, 11:36h. 

Last updated on: December 16, 2024, 11:36h.

Casino staff aboard a gambling ship near Goa, India reportedly attacked government investigators recently due to mistaken identity, believing them to be criminals, according to reports.

The officials from India’s Directorate of Enforcement (ED) were conducting an official investigation on the docked ship, Casino Pride, situated on Goa’s Mandovi River.

Investigators Confined

One of those attacked was Poluri Chenna Kesava Rao, an ED assistant director, along with his team. The Hindustan Times reported that the investigators were confined to a room by the cruise staff.

The investigators were investigating suspected money laundering, interviewing ship employees and seizing relevant documents. Staff from the casino allegedly destroyed evidence gathered by the investigators and prevented them from furthering their investigation.

A formal complaint was later filed with the police in Panaji, the capital of Goa.

“During the raid, the casino staff obstructed and prevented ED officials from conducting searches,” a police officer quoted by Inside Asian Gaming said.

Some of the casino’s security mistook the officials for con men posing as ED officials, leading to a confrontation,”

The suspects involved in the assault were identified as Ashok Wadia, a casino director, Gopal Ramnath Naik, Arati Raja, as well as other employees, according to The Indian Express.

Uniforms Encouraged for Investigators

The Goan, a local news outlet, cautioned about the risks when investigators are not in uniform while on duty.

The lack of uniforms for officials can raise doubts about the authenticity of their actions. It is common for police officials to be in plain clothes even during routine enforcement tasks like traffic stops, making it unclear who is a genuine officer,” the article pointed out.

“While there may be valid reasons for law enforcement agencies to operate undercover, it creates confusion for the public and can make it hard to distinguish between law agents and potential criminals.”