Rajkot: A late-night raid on an alleged gambling den in Veraval took a turn when a crowd of 200 allegedly attacked personnel of the state monitoring cell (SMC) and tried to free detained gamblers.Police said officers were forced to fire a warning shot in the air before reinforcements brought the situation under control.The SMC team was conducting a raid on an illegal gambling club in Veraval city of Gir Somnath district on Wednesday night. The team had raided the house owned by Bhikhu Vaja in the Mota Koliwad area.After the raid, the SMC lodged a complaint at Veraval City police station against 30 identified persons, four unidentified mobile phone users and six individuals who allegedly fled during the operation.The case has been registered under Section 112(2) of the BNS and Sections 4 and 5 of the Gujarat Prevention of Gambling Act.Police seized evidence and recovered Rs 26,000 in cash from the premises.According to the complaint, SMC personnel were completing seizure formalities when the six men who had escaped allegedly returned with a mob of 200 men and women.The crowd tried to free the detained gamblers by breaking electric cables and light bulbs to plunge the area into darkness. Police said members of the mob then climbed onto the terrace of the house and surrounded the SMC team.Investigators alleged that the mob launched a violent attack that endangered the lives of the officers.To disperse the crowd, PSI J H Sisodiya fired one round into the air, police said.Veraval City police inspector J N Gadhvi was informed of the situation, after which additional police personnel rushed to the spot and restored order.According to police, the SMC had received intelligence that one Girish Gawdiya was inviting people from outside Veraval to participate in gambling and collecting illegal proceeds from the operation in the Mota Koliwad area.
