Noida: Arcade raided for serving liquor without a licence

The manager of a gaming arcade in Sector 38A was booked on Friday night for serving alcohol without a liquor licence after officials of the excise department searched the establishment.

Vikas Bhattacharya, the manager of Appu Ghar Express, a gaming and recreation arcade located near a mall, was taken into police custody after the search and handed over to the Sector 39 police, where a case was registered in this regard.

According to officials of the excise department, they received a tip-off that liquor was being served illegally at the establishment. “We first had a tip-off regarding a hotel in Hazipur area. A team of three excise inspectors and several constables searched the hotel. However, the tip turned out to be false. In the meantime, we got another tip-off that a gaming zone was serving liquor without a licence. Acting on the second piece of information, the team searched Appu Ghar Express,” district excise officer (DEO) Rakesh Kumar Singh said.

He added that the team found liquor being served in the bar area. “Upon questioning, the staff was unable to produce any permits for liquor. We found 75 bottles of beer, two bottles of foreign whisky and one open bottle of vodka. There were nearly 60-70 people in the arcade at the time of the incident. Prima facie, it appears that the establishment serves alcohol when a party hosted there; they don’t do it on a daily basis,” Singh said.

Excise department officials said that the search took place around 9.30pm.

“The manager, a resident of Trilokpuri, Delhi, was taken into custody and handed over to the Sector 39 police, with whom we also filed a complaint,” the DEO said.

He further said that based on the excise laws, the accused could either be jailed or fined, pending investigation. The case was filed under sections of the Central Excise Act, 1944. “We are looking into the matter. The manager has been booked. However, it is a bailable offence and thus the manager was not sent to jail,” Amit Kumar Singh, station house officer, Sector 39 police station, said.

Employees of Appu Ghar Express refused to comment on the incident.