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₹2 cr seized, 81 held: Major liquor raid at anniversary celebration in ‘dry’ Gujarat's Ahmedabad
Following the raids, alcohol bottles, hookahs, cars and mobile phones collectively valued at ₹2.3 crore were also seized.
An anniversary celebration near Gujarat's capital Ahmedabad became the site of a major liquor raid, with police arresting 43 men and detained 38 women.
The action came after the attendees of a marriage anniversary par being held at a private villa on the outskirts of Ahmedabad were found to be allegedly consuming liquor.
Following the raids, alcohol bottles, hookahs, cars and mobile phones collectively valued at ₹2.3 crore were also seized, PTI news agency cited police officials as saying on Thursday.
The manufacturing, sale and consumption of liquor in Gujarat, which is a dry state, are prohibited and punishable.
“While 43 male attendees have been arrested, 38 female attendees were detained and were later released. Notices have been given to these women,” Ahmedabad Rural Superintendent of Police (SP) Om Prakash Jat told PTI.
Meanwhile, police have registered a case under the relevant sections of the Gujarat Prohibition Act, and launched an investigation into the matter.
Private villa raided shortly after midnight
The private villa at Safal Nirvana Greens near Sanand on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, where the celebrations were underway, was raided shortly after midnight, according to the PTI report
The party had been organised by a Mumbai-based man and was meant to celebrate his brother-in-law's 25th marriage. The organiser had extended invitations to a group of close friends, including men and women, to the villa, which was owned by his friend, police said.
During the raid, material value at around ₹2.3 crore was seized by the police, which included 15 liquor bottles, 10 hookahs, 22 cars, and 74 mobile phones, Ahmedabad Rural SP Jat said.
The SP further informed that blood samples of all those who were present at the party were taken and later sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to detect the presence of alcohol and drugs.
If any drug consumption is detected in the blood samples, action will be initiated under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, PTI cited the SP as saying.
