Nagpur: Four women rescued, 12 arrested from dance bar

NAGPUR: Four women were rescued from an illegally run

dance bar

on

Kamptee Road

during a raid just past Friday midnight. The police have also arrested eight customers, three staffers and manager.

The action was initiated by zone V DCP Suhas Bawche and his team. When the police raided the bar, the customers were caught ‘showering’ currency notes on the dancers.The police, however, have not disclosed the identity of the owner of the bar for reasons best known to them.

Police sources said the owner had started

Welcome Bar

, situated besides Shagun Lawn on Kamptee road, though he did not have licence to operate one.

“The bar owner had installed CCTV cameras at the entrance. Whenever watchman noticed any patrolling squad in the vicinity, he used to alert the manager through an alarm who would immediately change the bar environment and the dancers would then pose as singers,” the DCP said.

The police have seized cash Rs11,500 which was ‘showered’ on the dancers, CCTV cameras, illicit liquor and music system.

The police have handed over the case to Old Kamptee police station where an offence has been registered under relevant sections against 13 persons, including the owner. The arrested persons have been identified as Siddhartha Purohit, Rajendra Satpute, Ritesh Sharma, Sachin Kshirsagar, Rajeev Sonsakhre, Pankaj Gondane and others.

A few days ago, the sleuths of crime branch had raided Sangram Bar for similar illegal activities. Bawche, around a month ago, had conducted raid on Payal Bar near HB town. The increasing number cases of dance bars detected in the city points to rampant misuse of the permission granted by Maharashtra government to have orchestra at the bars.