Nagpur cops go undercover, survey pubs and bars; find several violations

Action comes after car crash in Pune in which two IT professionals lost their lives after a Porsche driven by teen ran over them on May 19

Nagpur: In the wake of the Pune car crash, the senior police officers in Maharashtra’s Nagpur went undercover to survey pubs and bars in the city to look for violations, an official said on Tuesday.

A special team of the Nagpur police visited pubs, bars, and clubs on Sunday night and uncovered several violations of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act, he said. The Nagpur police’s action has come after the car crash in Pune in which two IT professionals lost their lives after a Porsche allegedly driven by a 17-year-old in an inebriated state ran over them on May 19.

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Police Commissioner Dr Ravinder Singal said a detailed report will be filed based on the officers’ findings, and notices will be served to the management of pubs and clubs for violations under the Maharashtra Police Act.

At least 13 senior officers, including assistant commissioners of police (ACPs) and deputy commissioners of police (DCPs), visited pubs posing as customers to observe the operations, another official said.

Policemen visited 13 establishments on Sunday night and found several violations, such as overcrowding and serving liquor to underage customers, he said. In some places, CCTV cameras were strategically placed to leave certain areas of pubs unmonitored, the official said.

As per law, establishments serving alcohol must deploy marshals to ensure that customers do not drive under the influence of liquor, but none of the pubs and bars followed this rule, he said.