Indore, Mar 12: Police in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district busted an alleged gambling operation during a raid at a farmhouse linked to a senior IAS officer, arresting 18 people and seizing cash and other items worth nearly Rs 28.67 lakh, officials said on Thursday.
Acting on a tip-off, a police team raided the farmhouse on Wednesday. The main gate of the property was found locked from the outside, but officers entered through a rear gate after hearing voices from inside the premises, police said.During the raid, several individuals were found playing cards in the veranda of the farmhouse.
Police surrounded the area and detained 18 persons allegedly involved in gambling, while five others managed to escape in the darkness.
According to officials, the farmhouse is registered in the name of former Shahdol Collector and current Managing Director of the Madhya Pradesh Finance Development Corporation, Vandana Vaidya, and her husband Ambrish Vaidya.Police recovered Rs 13.67 lakh in cash from the spot along with playing cards, 30 mobile phones and two cars.
The total value of the seized property has been estimated at around Rs 28.67 lakh.Superintendent of Police Yangchen Dolkar Bhutia said Jagdish Rathod alias “Uncle” alias “Kubada” appears to be the main operator of the alleged gambling racket.
Farmhouse caretaker Ranjeet Chaudhary is suspected to have allowed the premises to be used for gambling parties in exchange for money, the officer said.
The five persons who escaped during the raid have been identified as Rathod, Gopal, Pappu, Ashish Jain and Chaudhary. Police teams have launched a search operation to trace them, officials added.
