The Prohibition and Control Branch (PCB) of Ahmedabad City Police raided an alleged gambling den in the Shaherkotda area and arrested 21 men, seizing cash, mobile phones and gambling material worth Rs 1.83 lakh. The raid took place at a house in Ghanchi ni Chali, opposite Ashok Mill, on 6 November.
Police said the premises were being used for gambling. A PCB team carried out the operation and detained the men allegedly present inside the house. All 21 were arrested after the raid, and the seized material was taken into custody.
The arrested men are aged between 32 and 71 and come from Ahmedabad and several other parts of Gujarat, including Palanpur, Gandhinagar, Amreli, Surendranagar, Botad, Morbi and Kheda districts. Police said the alleged operator of the den has not yet been arrested and is being traced.
Cash, phones and cards seized
During the raid, police recovered Rs 39,550 in cash and 18 mobile phones valued at Rs 1.44 lakh. The total value of the seized property, including the cash and other material, was calculated at Rs 1.83 lakh.
Police also recovered 318 loose playing cards, 34 individual card packets and 432 packets of playing cards from the premises. Two notepads and 47 slips containing handwritten gambling points were also seized, along with three calculators, four tables and 17 chairs allegedly used for the gambling activity.
Who was arrested
Police have identified all 21 arrested men. They are Kamlesh alias Kamlesh Bhaiya Sharma, 69, Ajruddin Nagori, 41, Yuvraj Barot, 44, Bakul Patel, 65, Hakubhai Solanki, 50, Vijay Desai, 46, Rafiq Kasmani, 61, Mukesh Trivedi, 66, Snehal Barot, 60, Imran Nagori, 48, Jayesh Patel, 55, Nitin Patel, 71, Mohammad Asif Ansari, 45, Zaheer Sheikh, 50, Nishar Qureshi, 50, Mohsinkhan Pathan, 45, Vijaysinh Darbar, 45, Mohammad Ajruddin Kazi, 39, Mohammad Soyel Sheikh, 32, Mohit Chaurasia, 33, and Badabhai Meena, 52.
The youngest among them is 32 and the oldest is 71. The men belong to different age groups and come from several districts across the state, according to police.
Operator still at large
During the investigation, police identified another accused, Alpesh alias Tono Patel, who allegedly operated the gambling den. He is a resident of Kadiyawad near the Saraspur police chowky and has not yet been arrested. Police said he is a listed accused and are searching for him.
The PCB has taken the seized cash, mobile phones, playing cards, handwritten records and other material into custody. The investigation is continuing to establish the alleged involvement of those present in the premises and trace the absconding accused.
Diwali crackdown on gambling
Police across Gujarat step up raids on gambling dens during the festive season, when such activity tends to rise. The Shaherkotda raid is part of that wider enforcement push, with the PCB acting on information about the premises in Ghanchi ni Chali.
Police said the seized records and material are expected to help investigators examine how the alleged gambling operation was run. Further action will depend on what the investigation establishes about each of the arrested men and the absconding operator.
