Eight held for gambling behind Durga pandal in Bhilgaon after Crime Branch raid

Eight men were taken into custody on the night of October 15, 2026, when Nagpur's Crime Branch raided a card-gambling session in the Rituraj Town locality of Bhilgaon, which comes under the Yashodhara Nagar police station. Goods and cash worth Rs 87,480 were seized.

The raid is part of a continuing drive against illegal gambling dens across the city. Crime Branch personnel on night patrol were told that a group of men was playing cards for money behind a Durga pandal in the locality. Several teams were sent to the spot together, and the eight men were rounded up there.

The operation involved the Crime Branch's house-breaking prevention squad, its Unit 5 and Unit 3, and the vehicle theft prevention squad. Staff of the Yashodhara Nagar police station also took part.

Police recovered Rs 26,880 in cash, seven mobile phones valued at roughly Rs 60,600, and a pack of 52 playing cards. Together, the seized items are put at Rs 87,480.

According to the police press note, the men held are:

Vineej Vinod Mehruniya (32), of Yerkheda, Lodhipura, New Kamptee; Shahrukh Ansari Abdul Jabbar Ansari (39), of Pili Haveli, Old Kamptee; Asmit Ritesh Charote (21), of Ramai Nagar, Kapil Nagar, Nagpur; Rahul Ashok Dhamati (34), of Rituraj Town, Bhilgaon; Kunal alias Golu Ashok Dhamati (38), also of Rituraj Town, Bhilgaon; Ashwin Tularam Gavare (40), of Vaishali Nagar, Hingna, MIDC; Arun Ram Kushwaha (34), of Hirkheda, Maratholi, New Kamptee; and Pratik Santosh Sonawane, of Mehtepar, Tirodi, Balaghat district, Madhya Pradesh. The age of Sonawane was not given by police.

A case has been registered against all eight under Sections 12(A), 3 and 5 of the Maharashtra Gambling Act. Once the raid was over, the accused were handed over to the Yashodhara Nagar police station for further legal action.

Details of the operation were shared by Dilip Chandan, police inspector with the Nagpur city Crime Branch.