Police Raid in Gujarat: 13 African Students Among 20 Arrested for Illegal Liquor Party in Prohibition State

Police officials recovered 51 bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor and 15 hookahs during a raid conducted at a farmhouse near Ahmedabad city.

Authorities raided a farmhouse on the outskirts of Ahmedabad and detained 15 individuals, including 13 African nationals, for allegedly consuming alcohol at a party, with five more people apprehended later, according to an official statement released Saturday.

Among approximately 70 attendees at the venue, 15 people, of whom 13 were African students, were found intoxicated during the late-night operation on Friday at the farmhouse located in the Shilaj area and were subsequently arrested.

Five additional individuals, including two bootleggers and the owner of the farmhouse, were apprehended early Saturday morning, bringing the total number of arrests related to the party to 20, as reported by Superintendent of Police (SP) for Ahmedabad-Rural, Om Prakash Jat, during a press briefing.

Initial investigations revealed that the alcohol party was disguised as a gathering for African students currently enrolled in various educational institutions across Gujarat, a state where the sale and consumption of alcohol is prohibited, according to Jat.

After receiving intelligence about alcohol being available at the event, law enforcement officers purchased entry passes and infiltrated the venue in plainclothes, posing as guests.

"Following specific intelligence, police teams conducted a raid at a farmhouse in the Shilaj area of the city and apprehended 15 individuals, including 13 African nationals, who were intoxicated. These African nationals are students at different universities throughout the state, including Gujarat University," the SP explained.

During the operation, authorities seized 51 bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor and 15 hookahs (water pipes used for smoking specially prepared tobacco mixtures), which are also banned in Gujarat, Jat added.

While the majority of international students were from Kenya, others originated from Comoros, Madagascar, and Mozambique, according to police information.

The five additional individuals arrested afterward included local bootleggers Anant Kapil and Ashish Jadeja, along with farmhouse owner Milan Patel, as stated by the SP.

"The gathering was organized specifically for African students by a Kenyan student. Entry passes ranged from Rs 700 to Rs 25,000. The alcohol party was concealed under the pretense of a social gathering. However, no narcotic substances were discovered during our search," Jat explained.

Those arrested face charges under relevant sections of the Gujarat Prohibition Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for criminal conspiracy, according to officials.