The businessmen were having whisky, and a premium brand in a private hotel in Patna.
Patna:
Seven businessmen in Bihar learnt the hard way that having a drink, even in the privacy of a hotel room, can land them in jail in the newly dry state.
On Tuesday night, policemen swooped in on their happy hour inside a room on the third floor of an upscale hotel in the centre of Patna.
They face a jail term of five to seven years.
They were having whisky, and a premium brand, say the police.
Only one of the arrested men is from Patna. His family owns one of the city's biggest Sari showrooms.
Five others are from Surat in Gujarat and one is from Kanpur.
The businessmen had all gathered for the wedding of a common friend's son and that last evening, they ventured into illegal territory by cracking open a bottle of whisky.
Sources in the Bihar Police say they were tipped off about the drinks party at the hotel. The raids are a part of an ongoing drive across the state to crack down on liquor-drinking.
The Nitish Kumar government announced total prohibition in Bihar on April 5.
The state was to be eased into the ban in phases, so the total shutdown came as a big surprise for most.
Amended rules prohibit alcohol drinking in any place except those who have a permit, which is very difficult to get.
Hours before the raid, the Chief Minister had visited Bhagalpur for a meeting and warned that police officers will be barred from field postings for 10 years if they are unable to check alcohol consumption in their area. "I want prohibition cross the country," Mr Kumar declared in the meeting.
On Tuesday night, policemen swooped in on their happy hour inside a room on the third floor of an upscale hotel in the centre of Patna.
They face a jail term of five to seven years.
They were having whisky, and a premium brand, say the police.
Only one of the arrested men is from Patna. His family owns one of the city's biggest Sari showrooms.
Five others are from Surat in Gujarat and one is from Kanpur.
The businessmen had all gathered for the wedding of a common friend's son and that last evening, they ventured into illegal territory by cracking open a bottle of whisky.
Sources in the Bihar Police say they were tipped off about the drinks party at the hotel. The raids are a part of an ongoing drive across the state to crack down on liquor-drinking.
The Nitish Kumar government announced total prohibition in Bihar on April 5.
The state was to be eased into the ban in phases, so the total shutdown came as a big surprise for most.
Amended rules prohibit alcohol drinking in any place except those who have a permit, which is very difficult to get.
Hours before the raid, the Chief Minister had visited Bhagalpur for a meeting and warned that police officers will be barred from field postings for 10 years if they are unable to check alcohol consumption in their area. "I want prohibition cross the country," Mr Kumar declared in the meeting.
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