2 waiters held for serving booze without licence at Ghaziabad cafe, owner on run

Ghaziabad: Police have arrested two waiters on Monday for serving alcohol without a bar licence at a cafe in Kaushambi's Angel Mall. An FIR has been also registered against the cafe's owner, who managed to escape.

Following a tip-off, the police and officials from the excise department raided the Public House Cafe on Sunday night and recovered 20 bottles of beer. Excise inspector Triveni Maurya said the cafe's owner used to procure an occasional bar licence at Rs 11,000 per day, but hadn't done so recently.

A case was registered against the cafe owner, Javed, and two waiters, Babbu Raikwar and Karan, under Section 60 of the Uttar Pradesh Excise Act and relevant provisions of the Restaurant Act, 1952 at the Kaushambi police station. Maurya said the two waiters were sent to judicial custody on Monday, while teams have been formed to nab Javed.

The joint operation was conducted as part of an ongoing enforcement campaign to curb the manufacture, sale and transportation of illegal liquor across the district.

"Excise officials have been regularly conducting inspections at restaurants and cafes. Some other outlets in Kaushambi were also inspected, but no violations were found there," a senior official said.