Police raid gambling den in Sevagram, seize Rs 11.05 lakh, arrest six

Sevagram police station received a tip-off on September 9 that some people were gambling with money using 52-card packs under an open tin shed on vacant land belonging to Akshay Burande's cement brick-making company in the MIDC Sevagram premises. On getting the information, police laid a trap under the guidance of station house officer Devendra Thakur.

A team from the police post, comprising sub-inspector Valmik Baburde, assistant police inspectors Sunil Paulzhade and Maroti Katkar, police head constables Sandeep Mendhe and Sanjay Lade, naik police constable Swapnil Nayak, police constable Dheeraj Chalak, police head constable Vilas Lohkare and police constable Nilesh, raided the spot in the presence of panch witnesses.

Six people were taken into custody at the spot. Fifty-two playing cards and Rs 13,000 in cash from the stakes at the time were recovered from them. Two table fans worth Rs 5,000, nine plastic chairs worth Rs 4,500 and three plastic tables worth Rs 3,000 were also seized.

Those arrested include Gajanan Manohar Girdkar, 38, Hemant Devchand Savarkar, 36, and Bhushan Arjunrao Vaidya, 34, all residents of Borgaon Meghe. Also taken into custody were Abdul Raza Abdul Rauf, 38, a resident of Anand Nagar, Wardha; Ayan Rahim Shaikh, 24, a resident of Arvi Naka, Wardha; and Sameer Rustam Sayyed, 40, a resident of Sonegaon station who currently lives in Siddharth Nagar, Borgaon Meghe.

A motorcycle, a car and mobile phones were also recovered from the possession of the accused and during a search of the spot. Including the gambling material and these recovered items, property worth a total of Rs 11,05,550 has been seized. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway.

The action was carried out on the orders of Superintendent of Police Saurabhkumar Agrawal, Wardha, Additional Superintendent of Police Sadashiv Waghmare, Wardha, and Sub-Divisional Police Officer Sunil Mahadik, Wardha. The entire raid was carried out by the police post team under the guidance of Sevagram police station house officer Devendra Thakur.