Bars raided, 100 held

Bars raided, 100 held
Express News Service

Mumbai, November 19: A special squad of Zone 12 police conducted raids on 25 bars in the western suburbs and booked over 100 people, including bar managers and women employees under the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA). They were held for violating the 9.30 pm deadline set by Mumbai Police which does not permit women to work at bars beyond the time.
“The raids were conducted after we received a tip-off that some women employees were being made to work late into nights, which is a violation of the Mumbai Police Act. We conducted the raids in different parts of the suburbs and arrested the people, 40 of whom are women,” said Shashikant Talegaonkar, police inspector heading the special squad.
The raids were conducted in Dindoshi, Kurar, Samta Nagar, Kasturba Marg, Dahisar and MHB Colony. The police, however, added that none of the women employees were bar dancers.
The police claim they checked on the bars dressed as customers before conducting the large-scale operation. “Some of our men visited the bars as customers and once it was confirmed that the bars were violating the law, we conducted the raids,” said Assistant Police Inspector S J Londhe, who was a part of the team from Ghatkopar police station.
The police added that the bar owners followed a modus-operandi. They claim the women employees would be sent out at 9.30 pm while police patrol teams went on their rounds and checked on the bars. But they would return after the police were gone.
The police also nabbed the customers who were present at the bar at the time of the raid. They were produced in the Bhoiwada court on Sunday and will be in police custody till Monday. The accused will be produced at Vikroli court on Monday.