81 held from pub in Hyderabad

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The Hyderabad police raided Tonic N Club pub at Banjara Hills early on Sunday morning and took 81 people into custody for partying beyond the time limit and consuming liquor. Most of the people at the club were celebrating a friend’s birthday party.

Among those taken into custody were doctors, software engineers, journalists, students, fashion designers and beauticians.

Of the 81 (65 men and 16 women), the cops released 77 people who were customers on personal bonds after booking a case under Section 21/76 of the City Police Act. The remaining four, who represented the club’s management, were arrested as per the Excise Act under Section 36 for misconduct of licences and Section 46 for criminal liability of licencee for the act of customers.

Assistant commissioner of police, Banjara Hills, K. Shankar Reddy said that the club had violated excise rules by keeping the pub open after 12 am without any special licence.

“Apart from the cases booked against the pub’s management, we will write to the authorities concerned to cancel the licence of the pub and to close it down,” he said.

Meanwhile, one of the partygoers said that they were not aware that that club did not have a licence to operate after midnight. “I came for my friend’s birthday, we were told by the club management that we could stay back till 5 in the morning,” he said.

The four who were arrested were club owner K. Srikant Reddy 35, manager K. Dileep Kumar, the DJ of the club and customer service manager Sundar. The police said that Srikant had recently bought the pub.

“We received information that the club was violating excise rules after the new owner took over. So we raided at 4.45 in the morning,” said Banjara Hills Inspector of Police Chandrashekar Goud.

Mr Shankar Reddy said that the 77 customers had been released on personal bonds of Rs 5,000. “We have also called them and their parents for a counselling program on the 14th of this month,” he said.
The four accused will be produced before III Chief Metropolitan Magistrate.