Owner, manager among 14 held for alleged drug use at pub on FC Road
The number of arrests in connection with a probe into a viral video allegedly from a Pune bar reached 14 on Monday evening after six waiters of the eatery were arrested by the Maharashtra excise department, officials said.
Police want to trace the youths as well as a minor seen in the viral video.
The state excise department said it had suspended the licence of Liquid Leisure Lounge (L3). The six waiters were arrested for allegedly flouting liquor stock norms under provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act, and have been remanded in custody till June 29.
Earlier, the police had arrested eight persons and suspended four personnel from the force after the bar was found operating beyond the permissible time limit.
The eight persons, identified as Santosh Kamthe, Vitthal Kamthe, Yogendra Girase, Ravi Maheshwari, Akshay Kamthe, Dinesh Mankar, Rohan Gaikwad, Manas Mallick, were remanded in police custody till June 29 by a court here, the official said.
The police had launched a probe after a viral video purportedly showed some persons with a drug-like substance at Liquid Leisure Lounge, also called L3, located on Fergusson College Road in Maharashtra’s Pune city.
Citing the viral video, the prosecution told the court it had emerged through social media that the accused had given narcotic-like substance to its patrons in the hotel and they want to probe the issue further.
Prima facie, it has been found that the accused used social media to invite patrons to the hotel to consume narcotics substances, alcohol, and smoke cigarettes, the prosecution told the court, adding police want to probe further about these customers.
“We have arrested eight persons, including owners and employees of the Liquid Leisure Lounge (L3) after it came to light that the establishment was operating beyond the permissible time limit on Sunday,” Pune Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar told PTI earlier in the day.
Those arrested have been booked under Indian Penal Code Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act, Maharashtra Prohibition Act, and the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, he said.
An inspector, an assistant inspector, and two beat marshals from the Shivajinagar police station, who were on night duty, have been suspended in connection with the case, he said.
According to the police, the bar was operating till 5 am on Sunday and liquor was being sold beyond the permissible time limit. Bars and pubs in Pune are allowed to remain open till 1.30 am.
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Nothing happens in India. They will be scot free in less than 1 minute. Reading such “caught” cases for years now, but not one is punished !! List grows…….
All names are disclosed except the name of owner ???