Ahmedabad, Aug 7 (IANS) Five days after Gujarat Police’s State Monitoring Cell (SMC) raided Ahmedabad’s Manpasand Gymkhana and apprehended 187 people in one of the state’s biggest gambling crackdowns in recent years, investigators say the operation has revealed not merely an illegal card room but a carefully designed system intended to keep cash out of sight, frustrate enforcement officials and present the activity as a harmless club recreation.
The latest raid, carried out on Sunday after a verified Intelligence input, was the third major police action at the Dariyapur premises in five years.
SMC officers had raided the same location in 2021, apprehending 183 people, while the Ahmedabad Crime Branch returned in 2023 and arrested 27 people after investigators said the club had resumed operations.
Authorities now say the latest operation uncovered an even more organised model of functioning.
According to officials familiar with the investigation, the SMC did not act immediately after receiving the tip-off. The information was verified over roughly 25 to 30 minutes before five teams, comprising around 20 to 25 personnel in total, were formed for the operation.
Sunday evening was deliberately chosen because the locality is usually crowded, allowing officers to blend into the surroundings instead of appearing as a coordinated police party.
“Teams moved separately through the congested lanes before simultaneously converging on the premises, preventing those inside from fleeing,” an official told IANS.
The club’s layout itself reflected the planning behind the alleged gambling operation. Investigators said the gambling activity was not visible from the main entrance of the gymkhana.
Players had to climb stairs to a first-floor hall, where officers found around 20 to 22 tables spread across the room with people actively playing cards.
The premises were covered by CCTV cameras, including cameras monitoring the approach lane leading to the club, helping those inside to watch incoming visitors.
Police say the most striking feature was not the card games but the financial system operating behind them.
IANS has learnt that instead of carrying cash to the tables, players allegedly deposited money at an office on the ground floor. They were then issued handwritten slips (receipt) carrying coded values rather than the actual amount.
For example, a player depositing Rs 5,000 would receive a slip marked “50”, with two zeroes intentionally omitted. The slip would be taken upstairs, where a writer seated at the table maintained a printed register recording the player’s name and coded amount.
Officials said each table accommodated six players and every game produced a winner. The table operator allegedly earned Rs 300 from every game played. Players entered and exited continuously, with records updated game after game.
If a player left after, for instance, the eighth round, a new participant’s entry would begin from the ninth game. Investigators said balances were updated throughout the evening, with winnings and losses reflected against the coded figures rather than visible cash.
The entire arrangement, investigators believe, was designed to create plausible deniability. If police entered, players could claim they were merely club members playing recreational card games because no cash was visible on the tables.
Officials said this was why only about Rs 3.30 lakh in cash was recovered despite 187 people being present. They believe the amount represented only the cash immediately available and not the actual value of betting.
Investigators allege much of the money trail may have shifted beyond physical currency. The probe has now expanded to examine UPI transactions and bank accounts to establish the full financial scale of the operation.
Officials said one of the objectives of seeking police remand for nine accused who are the main operator and staff, instead of relying solely on routine bail proceedings under gambling laws, was to trace digital payments and identify accounts allegedly used to handle betting proceeds.
Notably, the cash that was recovered was not found on the gaming tables. Officers said they had to search outside the immediate gambling area after questioning suspects during the panchnama before locating concealed cash.
Investigators believe the money had deliberately been kept away from the playing area to reduce the chances of direct recovery during a raid.
Police allege the operation revolved around Govind alias Gamo Patel, identified as the director of Manpasand Club and the principal accused. Investigators said the property itself has three owners, while Patel managed the club’s operations, including memberships and facilities.
“The gambling tables were allegedly rented out to individuals including Kishor Padhiyar, Satish Thakkar, Mulrajsinh alias Mulubha Rana, Dinesh Bhavsar, Anand Thakor, Laxman Parmar, Sattar Vora, Hussain Sipai and Salim Mansuri,” a senior official confirmed to IANS.
Police allege these table operators collected deposits from players assigned to their respective tables before maintaining coded entries through the writer.
Investigators estimate each table fetched rent of around Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000, while the table operator allegedly received Rs 300 for every game conducted.
Officials believe the operators relied on their own network of regular gamblers, informing them whenever games began.
Police also suspect the club’s membership structure served another purpose. Investigators said Patel has claimed that everyone present was a member of the club and had gathered only for entertainment.
Police are now verifying membership records and other documents recovered during the investigation. Officials indicated that if those claims do not withstand scrutiny, it could further strengthen the prosecution’s case.
The investigation has also revealed the wide geographic spread of those attending the alleged gambling sessions.
While many came from the locality, investigators said others travelled from surrounding areas including Maninagar, Ranip and even Kalol after learning that games were underway.
Officials described the venue as operating almost continuously whenever sufficient players were available, with games allegedly beginning in the morning or evening depending on attendance and often continuing late into the night.
Among the 187 people apprehended, officials said around 10 or 11 have two or more previous criminal cases registered against them.
However, investigators distinguished between alleged organisers and those found playing, saying “the current focus of custodial interrogation remains on those suspected of running the operation rather than the gamblers themselves”.
Nine accused, including Patel, were subsequently remanded to police custody until August 8 as investigators continue examining financial records and other evidence.
The latest raid is not the first time Manpasand Gymkhana has come under the scanner. In July 2021, the SMC apprehended 183 people from the same premises, following which 18 personnel attached to the local Dariyapur police station were reportedly suspended over alleged dereliction of duty.
The Gymkhana later resumed operations before another Crime Branch raid in October 2023 resulted in 27 arrests, including Patel. Investigators have said the premises repeatedly reopened despite earlier enforcement action.
Those arrested in the latest case have been booked under provisions of the Gujarat Prevention of Gambling Act, which prohibits operating or managing a common gaming house, being found gambling in such premises and authorises police to enter, search and seize suspected gambling establishments.
The investigation is continuing to determine whether additional individuals, including others connected with the property’s ownership or financial benefits, may have had any role in the alleged operation.
–IANS
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