Vadodara: BJP MLA Jerkeinh Solanki from Matar’s constituency in Anand District and 25 others was arrested by Panchmahal police in connection with a gambling party at a resort near Shivrajpur Village.
Liquor was also found on one accused of accused during a separate attack and violations registered regarding seizures.
The police have received a tip-off that a large number of people have gathered to gamble at Jimira’s resort near Shivrajpur.
At the raid, the police found people gambling in five rooms at the resort.
Groups include Solanki.
Police knew that the rooms at the resort were booked by one Harshad Patel, a Ahmedabad resident.
The source said that the remaining people were called to gamble by Patel.
This group includes seven women who are called to work as dealers in gambling tables or do similar tasks.
“The people involved in gambling are included from Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Letters, Vadodara and Anand.
Seven women held on the site include four of Nepal, two of the letters and patel’s wives,” said a senior police officer.
Police Inspector Branch Crime Panchmahal D B Chudasama said that Patel used to travel to Goa to gamble because there was a casino there.
However, the casino did not work because of Covid-19 and therefore Patel arranged a gambling party at this resort.
He uses coins as used in casinos and saves accounts in books.
Chudasama said that two remote cottages and were not clearly visible from the outside used to gamble.
Patel and Solanki are interconnected.
MLA denied involvement in gambling saying that he came to visit Pavagadh and stopped at the resort where he was caught.
Cash of Rs 3.89lakh, 25 cellphones, one laptop and eight cars were confiscated during the raid.
The total value of the seizure is valued at RS 1.15crore.
Solanki (43) has won the BJP ticket for the first time in the dispute in 2014 after the Matar chair fell emptiness like Devusinh Chauhan, MLA sat later, won Lok Sabha’s poll.
Solanki got another ticket in 2017 and won again.
He had attracted a lot of attention when he arrived to choose Nin an ambulance in Rajya Sabha’s recent poll.