Mumbai: Bar girls beat up raiding cops

TNN

Mumbai, 25 July 2011: When 25 policemen barged into a "shut" bar at Saki Naka early on Sunday to stop "illegal goings-on", they had no idea what was to follow. Within minutes of entering the place, the employees, including six bar girls, charged at the cops and beat them up, leaving two constables injured.

 

Around 2.30 am, a police van patrolling the Andheri-Kurla Road got suspicion when they heard noises coming from beyond the closed doors of Night Lovers’ Bar. They immediately called up the MIDC police who sent a team of 25 to the site. As they knocked on the gate, bar employees opened the door, apparently thinking that new customers had come in; however, both sides were in for a surprise. Those at the watering hole were caught unawares by the policemen, who in turn, were shocked to see women gyrating to raunchy music and some clients "busy" with other women in small cabins. They even witnessed a man, who later turned out to be the bar owner, forcing two girls to have sex with two clients.

 

Senior Police Inspector Rakesh Sharma recuperates at the
Mukund Hospital after he was thrashed by the bar owner in Andheri

 

As the policemen tried to stop the activities and round up the bar employees, the staff members, bar girls as well as some customers charged upon them. "On seeing the policemen, six girls who were on dance floor and the bar owner, Laljisingh Thakur, ran towards the policemen. Other employees, including and a few customers also joined in and 51 of them together started raining blows on the cops," inspector Mohan Waghmare said.

 

A scuffle ensued and eventually, the policemen overpowered the bar staffers. They arrested the six bar girls, the bar owner, 29 other employees and 15 customers, booking them for unlawful assembly, rioting, not allowing government servants to perform their duty and under Immoral Trafficking Act. Waghmare said the bar housed small rooms where sex workers entertained clients. "During the raid, two girls were rescued who claimed that they had been forced into prostitution," he said.

 

"These bars are creating nuisance. They indulge in all kinds of illegal activities, despite repeated action being taken against them. The bar owner, Thakur, is notorious and has several past cases registered against him," said senior inspector of MIDC police station S L Hujband. "Several complaints had been lodged against the bar and its owner, urging the authorities to cancel the licence. But the owner has always managed to stop the cancellation," Waghmare added.

 

President of AHAR, (Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association) Sudhakar Shetty said he was not in town and not aware of the incident. "I will get to know about it on Monday. I also have to check if the bar is on our list," Shetty said. "If they are our members, steps will be taken. But we have to know precisely went wrong that night."

 

Two MIDC police constables suffered minor injuries when 51 people, including six bar girls, attacked them during a raid on Night Lovers Bar on Andheri-Kurla Road at Sakinaka early Sunday morning. The constables were part of a 25 member policemen team that entered the `closed bar’ and found obscene activities and immoral trafficking that is carried out. From outside, the bar appears closed.

 

Police arrested 15 customers, 6 bar girls, 29 employees and the bar owners and booked them for unlawful assembly, rioting, not allowing government servants to perform their duty and immoral trafficking act. They will be produced before a local court on Monday.

 

"They have become a nuisance and carry out illegal activities despite repeated actions being taken against them in the past. Thakur is also involved in several cases in the past and is notorious, " said MIDC police senior inspector SL Hujband. "The police was taken by surprise when 51 people including the bar girls and the customers charged on the police on asking them to stop the illegal activities," Hujband said.

 

The raid drama lasted for two hours (from 3am to 5am) after the investigators found the bar running beyond the stipulated time.

 

"On seeing the policemen, six girls who were on dance floors along with the bar owner charged on the police. Few customers and the bar employees also supported the bar girls move," inspector Mohan Waghmare said.