Drugs in bar case: Pune police detain two in drug case
The duo, identified as Nitin Thombre and Karan Mishra, was seen with a drugs-like substance in a video captured at the bar that went viral earlier, Sandip Singh Gill, deputy commissioner of police (Zone 1), said
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Pune City police arrested two individuals from Mumbai on Tuesday as part of their investigation into alleged drug use at L3 Pub located at Fergusson College Road.
The duo, identified as Nitin Thombare, an architect from Mumbai and Karan Mishra, an IT professional from Pune, was seen with a drugs-like substance in a video captured at the bar that went viral earlier, Sandip Singh Gill, deputy commissioner of police (Zone 1), said.
The duo was produced before a local court, which remanded them in police custody till June 29,
This follows a series of actions by the police, taking the count of those held in this case to 16. On Monday, 14 individuals associated with the establishment were arrested, eight by Pune city police and six by the state excise department.
According to the police, the bar was operating till 5 am on Sunday and liquor was being sold beyond the permissible time limit. Bars and pubs in Pune are allowed to remain open till 1.30 am.
“We have arrested one accused from Mumbai and another from Pune. They were seen in the viral video with the drug-like substance,” Gill added.
On Monday, a team from the state excise department raided the L3 bar and seized a massive illegal stock of liquor. Accordingly, the state excise department registered a complaint against the pub owner and others under the Maharashtra Prohibition Act 1949 and arrested six individuals. The Excise department also seized 241 litres of FML worth ₹3 lakh.
While seeking their custody, the police informed the court that the accused were visible in the viral video with the drug-like substance and there was a need to probe their involvement further.
“Following further investigations and blood reports, the sections related to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act will be added. Police had launched a probe after the alleged video surfaced on social media.
Earlier, four police personnel were suspended after the L3 bar was found operating beyond the permissible time limit.
The police have collected samples from the toilet of L3 and sent them for an examination to check the presence of a narcotic substance.
Owners of the L3 Pub on Tuesday opposed police action following instruction by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
In response to the controversy, Pratik Kamthe and Siddhanth Kamthe, owners of the property, disassociated themselves from Akshay Kamthe, an event organizer allegedly involved in organizing a late-night party at L3. According to police, the party, involving 40 to 50 youths, commenced after 1:30am on Sunday. Pratik Kamthe clarified, “We have no connection with Akshay Kamthe. We have owned this property since 1995 and have fulfilled all tax obligations regularly. We leased out the property, as owners, we cannot be held accountable for activities conducted by tenants.” (With agency inputs)