In a pre-dawn raid on Sunday, the crime branch of the Pune police busted a high-profile party under the banner of Project X at a luxury bungalow in Tulapur area, about 30 km from Pune. The event, which continued well beyond the stipulated 11:30 pm deadline, exposed a late-night gathering involving intoxicated revellers, deafening music, banned hookah pots and flavours, marijuana consumption, and alleged violations of liquor permit conditions. Police in the FIR called the event a 'rave' party.
Details of the Raid
The bungalow, owned by a businessman from Pimpri Chinchwad and located on the banks of the Bhima River, is surrounded by fields and is rented out for parties and functions. When raided at 2:30 am on Sunday, officers found 107 men and 49 women at the venue, including some pub owners from Pune. Several attendees had travelled from Mumbai, Jaipur, Gurugram, Delhi and other cities to participate in the party, which was advertised through social media platforms.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Tejaswi Satpute said, "We have detained 78 people, including seven organisers of the illegal party and seized liquor, hookah pots and other articles worth Rs 85 lakh." Police said the partygoers are regulars at a pub near Pune railway station. The organisers wanted to host a poolside rave party outside the city and chose this location because it had a swimming pool. Police suspect that they had also planned an after-party following the event.
Age and Drug Violations
"Serving liquor to persons below 21 years of age is not allowed, and we suspect that some attendees were below 21. We are verifying their ages. We have also found a small quantity of drugs, suspected to be marijuana," Satpute added. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Gauhar Hasan said they have detained 78 people for questioning. "We will not arrest them but serve them notices directing them to cooperate with the investigation," he said.
Excise Department Action
Superintendent of the State Excise Department, Pune, Atul Kanade, said, "We granted permission to serve liquor at the venue only until 11:30 pm on Saturday. However, they violated the permitted time limit. We will initiate action against the person who obtained permission for the party."
Who All Were Detained?
Besides the pub owners, managers and organisers, the police also booked 14 bouncers, five DJs for allegedly playing music at a loud volume, two persons handling electrical illumination, 22 individuals accused of consuming alcohol and narcotic substances at the party, as well as bartenders, chefs, housekeeping staff and other support personnel.
Legal Charges
A case has been registered against them under Sections 223 (disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant), 270 (public nuisance) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act, Maharashtra Police Act, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the COTPA Act at Lonikand police station.
According to police, the crime branch received information about the party at a farmhouse in Tulapur. Acting on the tip-off, a team comprising 15 officers and 65 police personnel raided the place around 2:30 am. "Our investigation revealed that the liquor permit obtained for the event was valid only until 11:30 pm on June 6. However, the party continued well into the early hours of Sunday morning, indicating a clear violation of the permit conditions. We are also investigating who supplied the liquor and how the event continued beyond the authorised time limit," Tejaswi Satpute, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), said.
