Pune: In a major crackdown on illegal pubs and bars in Pune, the district administration demolished two city pubs on Wednesday for allegedly flouting rules. This action comes days after the Porsche crash in the Kalyani Nagar area that left two young techies dead. “We have taken action against two pubs till now and further action is underway. It is going on in various locations in Pune. Today, we will take action against five of the illegal bars and pubs”, said PMC Deputy Engineer, Yogendra Sonawane.
Earlier on Thursday, the Maharashtra excise department sealed two restaurants, where the teen was allegedly served liquor. The action was taken on orders of the Pune district collectorate. On the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, the accused juvenile went to the two establishments between 9.30 pm and 1 am and allegedly consumed liquor. Following this, the two outlets, Cosie Restaurant and Hotel Blak Club, were sealed.
While Cosie is located in Koregaon Park, an area adjacent to Kalyani Nagar, the Blak Club is in Mundhwa. "The Cosie restaurant and Blak Club in Marriot Suite have been sealed with immediate effect by the state excise department following orders from district collector Suhas Diwase," said a statement from the district administration.
Besides, a special inspection drive has been started by the excise department to ensure pubs and license-holding restaurants do not serve liquor to underage patrons and operate beyond the 1.30 am deadline, added the statement. If any violations are found, cases would be registered against such establishments and their licences will be cancelled, it stated further.
Pune Police have confirmed that the Pune teen's family has connections with the underworld, linking them to gangster Chhota Rajan. As per police sources, SK Agarwal, grandfather of the teen, is one of the accused in the assassination of Ajay Bhosale, a prominent local corporator in Pune, who was gunned down in 2009. The investigation has revealed that Chhota Rajan’s shooters were hired to carry out the hit on Bhosale. Both SK Agarwal and Chhota Rajan are accused in this case, which is currently under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).