In a surprise raid in Bengaluru, 65 people were arrested for allegedly gambling and Rs 96 lakh in cash was seized from them in a city hotel, police said on Sunday.

"On a tip-off, the city crime branch (CCB) raided a hotel at Mahadevapura in the eastern suburb, arrested all the 65 accused for gambling and seized cash (Rs 96 lakh) from them," said Bengaluru joint police commissioner Sandeep Patil in a statement here.

In what may be termed as a major crackdown on gambling in the city, the dramatic raid revealed that most of the gamblers were from the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh who were lured to participate in the event in this tech city. "We are on the lookout for the organisers of the gambling event as they are still at large or on the run," asserted Patil. In spite of the presence of visitors and guests in large numbers at the gala event in the unnamed hotel, the jurisdictional police failed to notice it, a senior police official admitted on anonymity.

Police sources said that this is said to be the biggest confiscation in the city’s history of crimes in gambling dens.