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Bars in cars: 82 arrested for drinking in public during raids across Ludhiana
Coming down heavily against public drinking, police conducted surprise raids at a total of 13 locations across the city on Monday night
Coming down heavily against public drinking, police conducted surprise raids at a total of 13 locations across the city on Monday night.
Police arrested 82 people in as many as 44 cases for consuming liquor in the open while sitting in their cars roadside. The teams also arrested eatery owners for serving food to violators and encouraging drinking in public.
Commissioner of police Mandeep Singh Sidhu, issuing a further warning, said such raids will continue on a regular basis and announced a drive against drunk driving in the city as well.
The police chief said he had received several complaints from city residents about the growing trend of public drinking and eatery owners encouraging the activity by serving food to violators — who as per the complainants often pass indecent comments and indulge in scuffles, thus disturbing the law-and-order situation.
“Following the complaints, we formed special teams at zone level and conducted raids from 8 pm to 11 pm. The police conducted raids at Feroze Gandhi Market, South City, Rajguru Nagar Market, Rishi Nagar Market, Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar Market, Model Town Market, Pakhowal road, Sector 32 market, Gol Market Moti Nagar, Shimlapuri among other areas,” he added.
Speaking of the arrests, Sidhu said, “The police teams found the violators were consuming liquor in the cars parked outside eateries. Some of the violators were drinking in the open. On seeing the police teams they tried to escape, but were nabbed. Police also booked eatery owners for selling eatables to the violators.”
The violators have been booked under sections 68, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act.
