Secret passage discovered in FC Road bar during raid, license suspended

Pune: Excise department officials on Tuesday revealed that they had discovered a secret passage connecting the first and second floor of the Liquid Leisure Lounge (L3) bar on Fergusson College Road and it was in violation of terms of the license.

“We have suspended the FL-III license of the establishment after illegal alterations in the bar came to our notice. The owners, while seeking license, had given us a different floor plan where liquor was to be served to customers. However, after obtaining the license, they made illegal alterations to the structure and made a hidden backdoor entry to the bar. Such alterations are needed to be informed to the state excise and to the civic body,” Pune excise superintendent explained.

Sunday’s viral video showing two men consuming some substance in the bar’s washroom has led to a major crackdown by the excise department. The operation uncovered a significant quantity of unlicensed liquor at L3, which has been sealed by the excise and police.

A senior excise department official explained, “We found that the ground and first floors of the building housing L3 are registered in the name of Santosh Vitthal Kamthe as Hotel Rainbow. While these floors possess a valid liquor license, inspectors found serious discrepancies in the bar’s approved layout. Our team found unauthorized layout modifications to the approved permit room design.”

Upon thorough inspection of Hotel Rainbow, the official said, serious discrepancies were detected on the licensed premises.

“Unauthorized internal modifications were found around the area designated for alcohol service. As a result, the Pune collector ordered immediate suspension of the establishment’s liquor license. The premises have been sealed pending further investigation.”

During the raid, the excise dept also seized 241 liters of unlicensed foreign liquor and other materials valued at approximately Rs. 3 lakh.

Another excise official said, “Our checks on such establishments are on round the clock. However, there are manpower limitations and our personnel cannot be present in all such bars all the time across the state. Thus some establishments take advantage.”

Lawyer Shushrut Kamble, who is representing Santosh Kamthe, one of the two bar owners who is now in police custody, said, “Our client has given this commercial property on rent to the three FL-III license holders. The premises has all the necessary permissions from the state excise department.”