Ahmedabad, Aug 7 — 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.