Cong demands action after Goa casino holds its employees hostage

Three employees of a casino here were held hostage for days and brutally thrashed owing to an alleged discrepancy of over Rs 1.80 crore in the accounts, claimed Congress party on Saturday.

Addressing a presser here, Congress MLA Nilkanth Haldankar claimed that the three staffers at Casino Strike were kept hostage in a room from December 16 to 20 before the police rescued them.

Demanding a home ministry-led probe, Haldankar said: "While the police are quick to act in Tarun Tejpal case, why are they slow now?"

Haldankar further alleged that the police was bribed by the casino management to let them go scot free. He demanded justice for the three employees.

One of the hostages from the casino, Chandan Pant, who is a resident of Nepal denied any wrongdoings and threatened to file a complaint in his country if the Goa government did not give him justice.

Stressing that he was rescued by Panaji and Agaciam police in a joint operation, Pant alleged: "We were held captive and beaten up mercilessly by casino management. They alleged that I was involved in some 1.83 crore scam".

"The management forced me to give an undertaking before the police that I have no complaint against them," he added.