Ramesh Balani, the father of Kerala Story actress Sonia Balani, revealed that a house in Alok Nagar owned by his family was being used by a tenant named Sanjeev, alias Sushil Rawat, for gambling activities. The police conducted a raid and detained 11 gamblers, seizing more than one lakh in cash along with vehicles, mobile phones, and gambling paraphernalia. However, Sanjeev alias Sushil Rawat is absconding, with efforts underway to ascertain his whereabouts.
Jagran reported that the police received information about gambling activities in a house in Alok Nagar and conducted a thorough search. The property is owned by Ramesh Balani, who is in the textile business and resides there with his family. Actress Sonia resides in Mumbai. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the house had been rented to Sanjeev, alias Sushil Rawat. The police found evidence suggesting regular gambling gatherings at the property. When the police attempted to enter the premises on Monday, they were met with resistance. Eventually, they managed to gain entry and arrest the gamblers, who attempted to hide in various rooms.
Assistant Commissioner Mayank Tiwari stated that one of the gamblers tried to pass himself off as a servant of the house. Further interrogation revealed that several of the apprehended individuals had previous involvement in gambling-related offences.
Among those arrested were Amit Agarwal, Mehran, Manish, Alpit, Amit Singh, Babu alias Shri Bhagwan, Pankaj, Hariom Varma, Lalitesh, Deepu, and Shahrukh. Shahrukh, a former gym trainer and bodybuilder, had previously been caught gambling in the Sikandra area. Many of the arrested gamblers were employed in the bullion business in the old city and frequented the location to gamble on Mondays when the shop remained closed.
Several police stations in the city summoned gamblers and bookies on Sunday, administering oaths to abstain from gambling and betting. The police aim to provide them with an opportunity to reform. Within 24 hours of taking the oath, 11 individuals were caught gambling in the same house, although none of them had taken the pledge.