Police raid hotels, arrest 21 for consuming liquor in Patna

In the last three days, the police have sent more than 100 people to jail on charges of consuming liquor

After Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar held a meeting on liquor prohibition, Patna police on Saturday night raided more than 50 hotels in the state capital and arrested several persons including two doctors, four law students of different universities, six software engineers, a hotel owner on charges of consuming and providing liquor. The police also recovered several liquor bottles, officials said.

Image for representation. (File photo)

In the last three days, the police have sent more than 100 people to jail on charges of consuming liquor. Deputy Superintendent of Police (law and order), Sanjay Kumar, said, “The police on Saturday night launched a special drive and conducted raids across 23 areas in Patna against liquor consumers and liquor suppliers in which the police arrested 21 persons including two doctors, four law students of different universities, and a hotel owner. The police arrested four law students from Rajiv Nagar areas who had come to attend a marriage ceremony and were found consuming liquor,” he added.

The DSP said that the police also arrested two doctors, including a female doctor, from a hotel under the Kotwali police station. “All the 21 persons were sent to jail after FIRs were lodged with Kotwali police station on Sunday morning,” he added.

Police said they arrested a doctor, a resident of Bhagalpur currently working in Ranchi and his female doctor friend from Maharasthra who came to Patna for their interview at AIIMS. But now they have been sent to jail, said a police officer.

ASP (Town), Amit Kumar said that the police arrested seven persons after raiding three hotels under Gandhi Maidan police station. “The police raid will continue in Patna,” he added.

The Kankarbagh police raided more than 10 hotels and arrested six software engineers who were identified as Rohit Kumar from Hyderabad, Anil Kumar and Kanchan Kumar Singh from New Delhi, Anand Mandal and Vinit Jaiswal from Kolkata, Kanchan Kumar Singh from New Delhi, Vikas Kumar from Mumbai who came to Patna to attend the marriage ceremony of their friend. All the accused have been sent to jail after being produced before the excise court in Patna. The police also arrested a BSNL employee from Kankarbagh area, said SHO of Kankarbagh police station, Ravi Shankar Kumar.