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BJP MLA’s nephew held for bootlegging, liquor worth Rs 3.87 lakh seized

During the raid, three persons were transporting liquor bottles from two cars on motorcycles.

2 min readSuratJan 23, 2026 08:31 PM IST

The police apprehended Yogesh Dodhiya at the spot.

The Tapi police on Friday arrested Yogesh Keshav Dodhiya, a nephew of Mohan Dodhiya, the BJP MLA from Surat district Mahuva Assembly seat, in connection with a bootlegging case and seized IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liquor) bottles worth around Rs. 3.87 lakh. Two other persons managed to escape during a raid and a search is on for them, police said.

The raid was conducted in a thickly vegetated area on the outskirts of Khambla village in Valod taluka and three persons were transporting liquor bottles from two cars on motorcycles.

The police apprehended Yogesh Dodhiya at the spot but two others managed to flee even as another team chased them. The two cars at the spot were seized. Police said Yogesh Dodhiya, 48, is a resident of Andhantri village in Valod taluka. Yogesh is the son of MLA Mohan Dodhiya’s brother.
The police identified the other two suspects as Kartik Patel, a resident of Mahuva taluka in Surat, and Bharat Patel, of Dharampur in Valsad.

Rajubhai Dodhiya, former sarpanch of Andhantri village, told The Indian Express, “Mohanbhai Dodhiya has four brothers, one of them being Keshavbhai – Yogesh’s father. The other brothers are Dinubhai, Chandrabhai and Champakbhai. Their houses are near each other in our village.”

Valod police inspector M M Gilator said, “Yogesh Dodhiya is a known bootlegger of the area and has over ten cases against him. We have sent teams to nab the absconding persons.”

Despite repeated attempts to contact him, MLA Mohan Dodhiya was unavailable for comment.

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