Pub manager held for illegally serving liquor

At least three dozen drunk foreigners and Indians, including underaged people barred from consuming liquor, were caught early Thursday in a pub here, police said. The pub manager was arrested but the customers were released later.

A team of excise and police officials raided the pub around 2.30 a.m. in a plaza on Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road. Its bar was open beyond the official closing time of midnight, police said.

Prabhat Kumar, the bar manager, was arrested under penal provisions dealing with disobedience to order promulgated by public servant, police said.

At least 37 people, including men and women, were caught drinking illegally in the pub, police said.

Six of the customers were aged between 16 and 21 years, much below the minimum permissible age of 25 years for drinking liquor in Haryana and most of the foreigners were from Nigeria, officials said.

"The closing time of bars is midnight. The manager of the bar had shut it down at midnight but again opened it around 1.30 a.m.," Subhash Kaushik, an excise inspector leading the team, told IANS.

"On seeing the raiding team, the manager locked the bar from inside and it could be opened only at 4.30 a.m.," Kaushik said.

"Our raid was under section 29 and 30 of the excise law and all those who were caught were later freed," Kaushik said.

The bar manager was presented in a court which granted him bail, police said.