Pune: Rs One Lakh Fine Imposed On Dhaba For Illegally Selling Liquor
Kothrud, 2nd May 2024: The State Excise Department recently uncovered a clandestine operation involving the illicit sale of liquor at a dhaba located in Kothrud. Four individuals, including the dhaba manager, were nabbed for vending alcohol without the requisite license from the Excise Department.
Following the arrests, a charge sheet was promptly filed in court, resulting in a hefty fine of one lakh rupees levied on the dhaba manager, and two thousand rupees each on the inebriated customers. Failure to remit the fine may lead to a two-month stint of simple imprisonment.
The crackdown took place when a team from the State Excise ‘C’ Division conducted a raid at Hotel Khind, a prominent dhaba in the Kothrud area. Investigations revealed that the dhaba manager, identified as Yogesh Suresh Mathwad, had been facilitating the distribution of liquor to patrons. Subsequently, Mathwad, along with four customers, were detained.
The operation was conducted by a team comprising State Excise Department Inspector SS Kadam, Sub Inspector Pratap Bodekar, Kiran Patil, Assistant Sub Inspector Sandeep Lohkare, Ujjwala Bhabad, Sharad Bhor, Gopal Kanade, and Sachin Indalkar.
With the Lok Sabha elections in full swing, the State Excise Pune Department has deployed specialized teams to curb the circulation of illicit liquor, counterfeit production, transportation, and distribution. Rigorous surveillance measures have been implemented to monitor liquor influx from neighboring states, coupled with impromptu inspections of dhabas and hotels. Inspector SS Kadam has issued a stern warning, affirming stringent repercussions for any transgressions of the law.
