AHMEDABAD: Celebrations turned sour for a Mumbai businessman who organized a liquor party in dry Gujarat for the 25th wedding anniversary of his wife’s sister and her husband. Sanand police came knocking at doors of the luxury weekend home in Goraj village of Ahmedabad district where the party was being hosted. Cops seized foreign liquor, hookahs, high-end vehicles and mobile phones collectively worth nearly Rs 3 crore and booked 81 people — 43 men and 38 women — under various provisions of the Gujarat Prohibition Act.
Among those booked were a doctor, around a dozen chartered accountants, businessmen and their spouses, said police. While the 43 male attendees were arrested, the 38 women were detained and later released after being issued notices, Ahmedabad Rural Superintendent of Police Om Prakash Jat said.According to police, the party was organised at Safal Nirvana Greens, a private bungalow project on the outskirts of Sanand. The host, a 49-year-old Mumbai resident, had organised the celebration at plot number 200, which belongs to a friend.The couple whose anniversary was being celebrated had earlier lived in Mumbai before shifting to Ahmedabad for business.Police said several guests had travelled from outside Gujarat, and liquor had allegedly been illegally transported specifically for the event.Acting on specific inputs, a team from Sanand police station conducted a late-night raid at the venue. During the search, officers found that foreign liquor was being served without any permit or pass, in violation of the state’s prohibition laws.During the raid, police seized eight sealed bottles of foreign liquor, seven half-filled bottles, and three empty bottles.They also recovered 10 hookahs valued at Rs 10,000, around 70 drinking glasses, and multiple packets and containers of hookah flavours. In addition, officers seized 74 mobile phones, valued at approximately Rs 26.30 lakh, and 22 high-end cars, valued at about Rs 2.65 crore.The total value of muddamal seized from the premises was estimated at around Rs 3 crore. An offence has been registered under Sections 65(a)(a), 116(b), 66(1)(b), 75(a), 85(1)(3), 81, 84 and 86 of the Gujarat Prohibition Act. Police said further investigation is underway to trace the source of the liquor and identify others involved in organising and facilitating the party.
