Caretaker turns IAS officer’s farmhouse into gambling den:Kingpin known as ‘Jagdish’ runs betting spots at changing locations

There is a stir after a large gambling network was busted at the farmhouse of a senior woman IAS officer in Awlipura village near Mhow, Indore. Police have arrested 18 gamblers from here, including government teachers and big businessmen. However, the mastermind of this entire operation, Jagdish Rathore alias ‘Jagdish Uncle’, and the farmhouse caretaker, Ranjit Jat, are still out of police custody even after two days. Meanwhile, the farmhouse is no less than a resort. The Dainik Bhaskar team reached Awlipura village. They tried to talk to the villagers. People did not reveal anything in front of the camera. First, let’s talk about the farmhouse IAS Officer’s Family Has Ties to Satna Royal Dynasty The farmhouse of MP’s Senior IAS Officer Vandana Vaidya is located in Awlipura village, with a population of three to four hundred, near Manpur, 25 kilometers from Mhow. It is no less than a resort. A large landmark-indicating board is installed outside. It reads: Thikana Brijendra Vihar, Rajvaidya Family, Uchhehra Riyasat Satna, meaning the owners of the farmhouse belong to the Uchhehra princely state (Pratihara dynasty). In the farmhouse, spread over one bigha, a construction of about 50×50 feet has been done, meaning the building is built over approximately 2500 square feet. In front of the main building is a large garden. The interior of this two-story building is also like a royal palace. A large picture of Maharishi Raman is hung on the wall. Along with pictures of grandparents and great-grandparents, ‘trophies’ are kept in many places. It is the same room, approximately 30 by 30 feet, where on Wednesday morning, the police arrested about 20 gamblers playing cards. However, IAS Vandana Vaidya and her family are not connected to this matter. Elders said- People’s movement increased before Holi An elderly farmer in the village said that normally, the owners of the farmhouse come here occasionally. They haven’t come for several months either, but some people’s movement had increased here even before Holi. We thought some work might be going on, which is why people were coming and going. On Wednesday morning, we learned about a gambling den here. At first, we couldn’t believe it, but when police vehicles with sirens left with the gamblers, the truth became clear. Thankfully, none of the gamblers are from our village. I asked – what kind of person is this Ranjeet Jat? Do you know Jagdish Kubda? He said that Ranjeet is from Rampuriya village. He didn’t say anything about Jagdish. Now, about the gang leader Jagdish Kubda ‘Uncle’ runs the gambling den network According to SDOP Lalit Sikarwar, Jagdish Kubda is considered the biggest gambling organizer in the Malwa region. He is famous in the area by the name ‘Jagdish Uncle’. To organize gambling for the rich, he chooses such safe places that the police cannot suspect and are away from people’s sight. Every rich gambler in the region is in his contact. Where the gambling den should be set up, what time it will start, what arrangements will be made, he used to arrange all this. He kept an eye on such farmhouses that belonged to officers or politicians. He knew that these people do not come to their farmhouses for several months. Kubda’s gambling network is large and high-profile. He changes his location in a few days. Sometimes he sets up gambling dens in Dhar, Badnawar, Jhabua, and sometimes in Mandsaur. Kubda also has contacts with many wealthy people in the region who are said to be addicted to gambling. Through these contacts, he used to arrange gambling at different places. For this, his team was also active. Wherever gambling was to be arranged, his associates would first reconnoiter the location and then the place would be decided. Main gate locked, police entered through back door On Tuesday night, Rural IG Anurag Singh also received information from an informant that gamblers had gathered at the farmhouse. On a tip-off from Indore, a joint team of Badgonda, Manpur, and Indore police raided the place. The main gate was locked, but voices of people could be heard from inside. After this, the police team entered from the back side of the farmhouse. There, several people were seen playing cards on the veranda. As soon as they saw the police, there was a commotion among the gamblers. The police apprehended 18 gamblers. Meanwhile, the main ringleader Jagdish Rathore alias Kubda and others escaped through the back gate. Businessmen and teachers also among accused The accused apprehended in the police action include people from various professions. Among them, Asif alias Chunnu Khan works in handloom saree manufacturing in Maheshwar. Rakesh Chaudhary, a resident of Jhabua, is a teacher in a government school. Nitish Bansal, a resident of Barwani, deals in fertilizers and seeds, while Akhilesh Jhanwar, a resident of Bagh, runs a bus transport business. Following the action, Manpur Police Station In-charge Lokendra Hihor, SI Mithun Osari, and ASI Resham Girwal were suspended. Initially, the gambling den was to be set up on March 1 The gambling den at the IAS officer’s farm was initially scheduled for March 1, but the event was postponed due to some reason. Later, March 10 was decided as the date. Some gamblers caught at the spot said that they had come here for the first time. Senior police officers had been trying to catch the network red-handed for a long time.