Four foreigners among 16 held from MG Road mall in night-long raid

Alert and on its toes after the alleged gang-rape of a Kenyan national in the city, Gurugram police conducted a nightlong search at several pubs, bars and discotheques on MG Road.

Updated on: Jun 11, 2018, 08:49:31 IST

Gurugram, Hindustan Times | By Leena Dhankhar

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Alert and on its toes after the alleged gang-rape of a Kenyan national in the city, Gurugram police conducted a nightlong search at several pubs, bars and discotheques on MG Road on Saturday and rounded up 16 people, including four foreigners, from Sahara Mall.

Police said six teams from different police stations, searched watering holes on MG Road through the night.

Police said the night-long sweep of the watering holes was aimed at checking drug abuse, prostitution and preventing visitors from carrying firearms. They said that the operation was also aimed at ensuring that the night clubs at the mall don’t stay open beyond the scheduled closing hours.

Sector 29 police booked the four overseas nationals under the Foreigners’ Act and the remaining 12 were booked under Section 160 (committing affray) of the Indian Penal Code.

Police said that the other 12 were picked up for creating a ruckus on the second floor of the mall. “Two groups got into a fight and despite being warned, they didn’t stop. They were drunk,” ACP (crime) Shamsher Singh said.

Police said several drunken brawls were reported from the malls on MG Road recently and security was beefed up on Thursday, a day after the alleged gang rape.

There are around 16 malls on MG Road, which are frequently visited by local residents and foreigners.

“We arrested four foreigners, two women from Uzbekistan and two men from Afghanistan, during the night-long operation. They were on their way back from night clubs and were living in the city without a passport and visa,” inspector Vikas Kumar, station house officer (SHO), Sector 29 police station, said.

Police said that during questioning, the foreigners said that the club owners and operators were aware that they were residing without valid travel papers, but they still invited them to their establishments as “the presence of overseas visitors helps them record a bump in business”.

“A probe is under way to find out how they were residing without valid travel documents and if the club owners were aware of it, why they didn’t inform us. They told us that the operators knew they didn’t have passport and visa and yet, invited them to their establishments on a regular basis and did not even charge for drinks and food,” Kumar said. Police said the foreigners were sent to judicial custody, while the remaining 12 were released on bail after being produced before a duty magistrate.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More