Pune: 8 remanded in police custody after bar operates beyond permissible hours

Eight persons were arrested and four police personnel suspended after a bar in Pune was found operating beyond permissible time limit reported PTI citing an official on MondayAfter a viral video purportedly showed some persons with a druglike substance at the bar located on Fergusson College Road in Pune police had launched a probeAccording to the police the bar was operating till 5 am on Sunday opposed to the permissible time which is till 130am and liquor was being sold beyond permissible time limitThe arrested persons have been identified as Santosh Kamthe Vitthal Kamthe Yogendra Girase Ravi Maheshwari Akshay Kamthe Dinesh Mankar Rohan Gaikwad Manas Mallick as per the PTI reportThey were remanded in police custody till June 29 by a court here the official saidCiting the viral video the prosecution told court it has emerged through social media that the accused had given narcotic like substance to its patrons in the hotel and they want to probe the issue furtherPrima facie it has been found that the accused used social media to invite patrons to the hotel to consume narcotics substances alcohol and smoke cigarettes the prosecution told court adding police wants to probe further about these customersReportedly the police want to trace the youths as well as a minor seen in the viral video it said in courtAccording to the police the bar was operating till 5 am on Sunday violating the permissible time limit which is till 130am and liquor was being sold beyond permissible time limitWe have arrested eight persons including owners and employees of the Liquid Leisure Lounge L3 after it came to light that the establishment was operating beyond the permissible time limit on Sunday Pune Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar told PTIThose arrested have been booked under IPC section 188 disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant and relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act Maharashtra Prohibition Act and the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act he saidAn inspector an assistant inspector and two beat marshals from the Shivajinagar police station who were on night duty have been suspended in connection with the case he saidEarlier in the afternoon members of right wing outfit Patit Pavan Sanghatana allegedly damaged the board of the bar pelted stones at the bar and broke plant pots kept outside the establishment a police official saidMeanwhile first time Pune MP and newlyappointed Union minister Murlidhar Mohol in a post on X said though the action of suspension has been taken immediately the police commissioner has also been instructed to launch a dedicated drive against narcotics and depute separate manpower for itAll colleges pubs hotels and other suspicious places should be searched with strict action Police have been instructed to go to the root to see how drugs are available in the city Mohol said