Gujarat: Gambling den raided, 23 arrested, Rs 11 lakh seized

The state monitoring cell (SMC) raided a gambling den in Saathma village near Amreli town and arrested 23 people, including two who used to operate the facility.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of SMC raided the den operated by Punja Basiya and arrested him along with Jigar Vaishnav who was responsible for bringing in gamblers. 

The entry fee for the den was Rs 2,000 per person and the gamblers were provided all facilities, including alcohol and non-vegetarian food.

Among those arrested was Basiya's son Jairaj too. Police seized Rs 10.82 lakh in cash from the den, Rs 38,000 from the two operators, 21 mobile phones, six four-wheelers and two two-wheelers. 

At the den, gambling was done using tokens and playing cards.

Sources said the den, which was flourishing for the last three months, attracted gamblers from Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Botad and other districts.