Sixteen bar waitresses were detained for allegedly indulging in obscenity, while four other employees and six customers were also taken into custody. Acting on a tip-off, the Crime Branch raided the Belapur-based Icon the Bar at around 12.20 am on Saturday and found that the waitresses were dancing to loud music while performing lewd acts. The bar continued to serve the customers even after the scheduled time.
“The light outside the bar was switched off. But when the main door was opened, we saw waitresses indulging in obscenity, with loud music in the background,” said the official. Manager Santosh Shetty, 42, from Ambernath East and waiters Sanjay Soren, Sachin and Pankaj Kewat from Belapur were detained, too, he added.
A case has been registered against them at the NRI Coastal police station under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code as well as The Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms Act, 2016.
