Raipur Police Raids Cafés and Restaurants, Multiple Arrests Made for Illegal Activities

SSP, disguised in plain clothes, visited various restaurants and cafés, posing as a customer before raids

Raipur
In a late-night operation on Saturday, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Santosh Kumar Singh led a series of raids on cafés and restaurants in the VIP Road area, acting on multiple complaints regarding illegal activities. Several establishments were found violating regulations, leading to immediate action.

At around 1 AM, the SSP, disguised in plain clothes, visited various restaurants and cafés, posing as a customer. Upon being served alcohol at one of the establishments, the police team, which had been waiting nearby, promptly initiated action. Similar enforcement was carried out against venues that were operating beyond the permitted hours.

FIRs were filed against both managers and owners of the accused establishments under the Excise Act, the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), and other relevant legal sections. The police stations of Mana, Mandir Hasaud, Telibandha, and New Rajendra Nagar were involved in the extensive checking campaign, which covered numerous hotels and dhabas.

Several suspects were apprehended from locations including Pintoo Dhaba, Paaji Da Pind, Sardar Da Kitchen, The Living Room Café, Area 36 Restaurant & Café, and The Burn House Café. Raids resulted in the seizure of 32 quarter bottles of country liquor, 8 liters of foreign liquor, 13 liters of beer, 1 kilogram of tobacco, three hookah pipes, and three hookah pots.

During the raid, five individuals were arrested for publicly consuming alcohol and possessing it illegally. They were charged under the Excise Act, and some suspects also faced charges under the COTPA Act. In total, six individuals were charged under prohibitory sections for their involvement in illegal activities.

The Raipur Police are preparing a letter to the Excise Department, recommending the cancellation of licenses for the establishments involved, as part of ongoing measures to curb illegal operations.

Additional teams, led by Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Lakhan Patle and City Superintendent of Police (Urla) Manishankar Chandra, conducted inspections at various other cafés and restaurants along VIP Road. Actions were taken against “The Living Room Café” in the Telibandha jurisdiction and “Area 36 Restaurant & Café” and “The Burn House Café” in Mana jurisdiction for violating operational hours and serving alcohol beyond the permitted limit.

Key arrests included Kamta Kashyap from Area 36 Restaurant & Café, who was caught with illegal alcohol and charged under the Excise Act, and Suraj Jatwar, 24, from The Burn House Restaurant & Café, who was found with illegal alcohol and tobacco products and charged under the COTPA and Excise Acts.

Additional arrests include:

Rahul Dhuppar, 21, operator of “The Living Room Café,” for illegal alcohol possession.
Amandeep, 28, arrested near Bablu Dhaba under prohibitory sections.
Jatendra Singh, 45, from Pintoo Dhaba Hotel, arrested with illegal alcohol.
Abhishek Agarwal, 33, arrested in Mandir Hasaud for public drinking, charged under section 36(c) of the Excise Act.
Manjeet Singh, 40, operator of Paaji Da Pind Hotel, arrested for illegal alcohol possession.
In a separate incident, five individuals—Akash Dhruv, Prafull Bhoyer, Anil Khute, Mukesh Das, and P. Shiva Rao—were charged under prohibitory sections following a dispute near Sardar Da Kitchen in New Rajendra Nagar.

The Raipur police have assured that the checking campaign will continue in an effort to curb illegal activities in the city.