Branded bottles, cheap liquor: Bar loses licence

Noida: The liquor licence of a bar at Gardens Galleria Mall was suspended after authorities carried out a raid last week and found that bottles of premium whiskey were tampered with before drinks were served to customers.Excise department officials told TOI that they seized 23 bottles and sent them to a laboratory to test for adulteration.The department's action came on an anonymous tip-off that My Bar Headquarters, which opened in the Sector 38A mall in 2021, mixes cheaper brands of liquor with high-end ones and stocks it in bottles of premium brands. "The bottles were seized during a raid conducted on Dec 27 in the storeroom of the venue called My Bar Headquarters. During the operation, two liquor bottles sourced from outside the state and 23 other suspicious bottles were recovered. The suspicious bottles were of premium brand whiskey, but their seals were broken, and their QR codes were tampered with as well," said Subodh Kumar, district excise officer (DEO).Kumar said the bar was sealed on Friday, and further action will be taken against the owner once the laboratory reports confirm adulteration.The excise department also filed a police complaint, and six people, including the bar's staffers, were named in the FIR. "Of the six people named in the FIR, four were arrested from the bar but two others managed to escape and are absconding. They were booked under section 318 (cheating) of BNS, and relevant sections of the Excise Act," the DEO said.A senior police officer said Sandeep Kumar of Bulandshahr (UP), Satish Bhardwaj of Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh), Ajay Kumar of Ghazipur (UP) and Rajesh Prajapati of Kanpur (UP) were arrested."The storeroom of the bar was located in the lower basement of the mall where the illegal bottles were seized from. Ajay and Rajesh worked as store in-charge, while Sandeep and Satish worked as managers. The absconding accused Sahil and Tanveer worked as bartenders," the officer said.The bar's owner could not be reached for comment till Monday evening.