Ahmedabad— Police raided a farmhouse on the outskirts of Ahmedabad city and arrested 20 people, including 13 African nationals, for allegedly consuming alcohol during a late-night party in violation of Gujarat’s liquor prohibition laws.
According to Ahmedabad-Rural Superintendent of Police (SP) Om Prakash Jat, the raid was conducted on Friday night at a farmhouse in the Shilaj area after a tip-off about illegal liquor consumption. Out of nearly 70 people present, 15 — including 13 African students — were found intoxicated and taken into custody.
Five more people, including two local bootleggers and the farmhouse owner, were arrested early Saturday. They were identified as bootleggers Anant Kapil and Ashish Jadeja, and farmhouse owner Milan Patel.
A preliminary probe revealed that the party was organized under the guise of a get-together for African students studying at various universities in Gujarat, including Gujarat University. “Our teams entered the venue as guests in civil clothes after buying entry passes. We found 51 bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor and 15 hookahs at the spot,” SP Jat told reporters.
The event, reportedly organized by a Kenyan student, charged entry fees ranging from ₹700 to ₹25,000. While the majority of the attendees were from Kenya, others hailed from Comoros, Madagascar, and Mozambique.
SP Jat confirmed that no narcotics were found during the raid. However, all 20 accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Gujarat Prohibition Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for criminal conspiracy.
Authorities reiterated that Gujarat’s prohibition laws remain strictly enforced, and surveillance has been increased to curb similar activities.
