Acting on a tip-off, police raided a godown near Champatpur and Dalanpur villages in Binadu area where some persons were allegedly indulging in gambling yesterday, SP (Rural) Surendra Tiwari said.
When they arrived at the spot, one Sunil aged in his fifties collapsed on the ground, while three of his accomplices Subhash Avasthy, Harishankar and Avinash were arrested and some cash was seized from their possession, he said.
Some of their friends managed to escape from the spot. After police left, those who had fled came back and took Sunil to a government hospital where he was declared dead, police said.
Prima facie, it appears that he would have died due to a heart attack. The body has been sent for post-mortem and the exact cause of death would be ascertained only after the report arrives, he said.
Meanwhile, Sunil's family has alleged that he died as he was beaten up by the police.
The matter is under investigation, police said.