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.

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.(Yogendra Kumar/HT File Photo)

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.