Gujarat Police bust Ankleshwar gambling den, 95 booked in Bharuch raid
Synopsis
A single raid beneath an open shed in Ankleshwar's Tad Faliya area has netted 95 accused — 13 arrested on the spot and 82 named as wanted — as Gujarat Police's State Monitoring Cell seized ₹2.80 lakh in cash and materials. The cross-state profile of those arrested, including residents from Maharashtra's Palghar district, suggests the operation was more than a local gathering.
Key Takeaways
Gujarat Police's State Monitoring Cell raided an alleged gambling den in Ankleshwar, Bharuch on 6 August .
95 people booked in total — 13 arrested at the scene, 82 named as wanted accused.
Cash and materials worth ₹2,80,250 seized, including ₹1,55,400 in cash.
Accused include residents of Surat , Bharuch , and Palghar, Maharashtra , indicating inter-state participation.
Case registered under Section 12, Gujarat Gambling Act and Section 112(2), Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 .
Operation conducted on orders from DGP G.S.
Malik ; investigation ongoing to trace remaining accused.
Gujarat Police's State Monitoring Cell raided an alleged gambling den in Ankleshwar city, Bharuch district, on 6 August, booking 95 people and seizing cash and materials worth more than ₹2.80 lakh, officials confirmed on Thursday. The operation marks one of the larger single-raid gambling crackdowns in the district in recent months.
How the Raid Unfolded
The raid was conducted beneath an open shed near the residence of Natvarbhai Rathod in the Tad Faliya area of Ankleshwar, within the jurisdiction of Ankleshwar A-Division Police Station. The operation was led by Police Inspector A.J. Chauhan of the State Monitoring Cell, acting on directions to intensify legal action against illegal gambling and liquor activities statewide.
Officers seized cash amounting to ₹1,55,400 along with gambling-related materials, bringing the total value of confiscated property to ₹2,80,250.
Arrests and Wanted Accused
13 people were arrested at the scene, while another 82 were named as wanted accused, taking the total number of accused to 95. Those arrested include residents of Surat, Bharuch, and Palghar district in Maharashtra — indicating the operation drew participants from outside Gujarat.
Among the wanted accused are two identified individuals from Bharuch and Surat, a resident of Tad Faliya, a person allegedly responsible for providing an electricity connection to the premises, seven individuals accused of abandoning mobile phones at the spot, and approximately 70 people who reportedly fled during the raid.
Legal Sections Invoked
A case has been registered at Ankleshwar A-Division Police Station under Section 12 of the Gujarat Gambling Act and Section 112(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The dual invocation — state gambling law alongside the new central criminal code — reflects a broader shift in how law enforcement is framing such offences post-BNS implementation.
State-Wide Crackdown Context
The operation was carried out in line with instructions issued by Gujarat Director General of Police G.S. Malik to pursue legal action against illegal liquor and gambling operations across the state. This comes amid a sustained push by Gujarat Police to dismantle organised gambling networks, particularly in industrial belt districts such as Bharuch, which host large migrant worker populations.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining accused, officials said.
Point of View
But two details deserve attention. First, the presence of accused from Maharashtra's Palghar district points to organised, cross-border gambling networks rather than a neighbourhood card game — a pattern that merits deeper scrutiny beyond the FIR count. Second, invoking Section 112(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita alongside the Gujarat Gambling Act signals that enforcement agencies are stress-testing the new criminal code in state-level vice cases. Whether the BNS provision adds meaningful deterrence or simply broadens the charge sheet is a question courts will eventually answer. With 70 accused still at large, the real measure of this operation is how many are actually traced.
NationPress
7 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the Ankleshwar gambling raid in Bharuch?
Gujarat Police's State Monitoring Cell raided an alleged gambling den in the Tad Faliya area of Ankleshwar, Bharuch on 6 August, booking 95 people and seizing cash and materials worth ₹2,80,250. Thirteen people were arrested at the scene while 82 others were named as wanted accused.
Who led the Gujarat Police gambling operation in Ankleshwar?
The operation was led by Police Inspector A.J. Chauhan of the State Monitoring Cell, acting on state-wide directions issued by Gujarat Director General of Police G.S. Malik to crack down on illegal gambling and liquor activities.
What laws were used to register the case?
The case was registered under Section 12 of the Gujarat Gambling Act and Section 112(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, at Ankleshwar A-Division Police Station.
Who are the accused in the Bharuch gambling case?
The 95 accused include residents of Surat, Bharuch, and Palghar district in Maharashtra. Among the wanted are individuals accused of providing electricity to the premises, seven who allegedly abandoned mobile phones at the spot, and around 70 people who reportedly fled during the raid.
What was seized during the Ankleshwar gambling raid?
Police seized ₹1,55,400 in cash along with gambling-related materials, bringing the total value of confiscated property to ₹2,80,250.
