Pune rural police have arrested over 300 people, 114 of them women, at a lounge bar in Wagholi on Sunday in the early hours in a raid. There were 303 customers arrested. The bar had no permits for liquor and the customers were slapped with misbehavior in public place. The customers were later released on personal bonds included IT professionals, businessmen , students and a few foreigners.

What is more interesting is that the owner of Maya lounge bar is an inspectors of the state antiterrorism squad, Rajnish Nirmal along with his wife Anjali. The wife was also arrested with a few sections of the Bombay Prohibition Act. Two partners and the managers of the place were also arrested.

The raid was conducted by two additional superintendents of police, three deputy superintendents, five inspectors and around 100 policemen. A few doctors of the Sassoon General Hospital were also brought along to collect blood samples. There were many customers and hence the collection continued till the after noon. No customer was left without a blood sample being extracted.

Two separate cases — one against the organizers and the other against the customers were registered under section 85 of the Bombay Prohibition Act and sections 110, 112 and 117 of the Bombay Police Act against the customers. Harmeet Sahani and Abdul Zaheer Abbas Jaleel, the partners of the establishment and Saud Anwari and Shreyas Tanna, managers of the bar were charged under sections 65, 81 and 83 of the Bombay Prohibition Act and sections 33/ 131 of the Bombay Police Act. The partners and the managers would have to attend the court today.

(AW- Anil)