Mumbai:
What should have been a routine raid for an experienced posse of police personnel turned out to be a scene from a James Bond flick.
The police were watching Duru Bar, a notorious bar in the Ulhasnagar area, for sometime. But each time they conducted a raid, they found no incriminating evidence to press charges.
Following the raids, the bar owner filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court alleging police harassment and stating that the only entertainment at the Duru bar was an orchestra and not dance bar as suspected.
When questioned, senior inspector Deepak Kurulkar informed the court that he had raided Duru Bar on orders from Police Commissioner SPS Yadav.
The case was still unsolved and Commissioner Yadav decided to use the oldest trick in the book he used an informer, posing as a client, all the while passing on vital information of how the bar owners and his clients were evading the dragnet.
Acting on information that several policemen, politicians and bookies were being entertained by bar dancers while gambling, the police team decided to conduct the raid.
Thane police commissioner SPS Yadav and his experienced team had conducted several raids in the past; however, nothing could have prepared them for what happened next.
According to one officer, the drama unfolded around midnight when the squad headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police VM Rathod raided the bar, but unknown to them, someone had tipped off the bar workers about the raid.
Their initial search within the bar came up with nothing incriminating; however the informer posing as a client, confirmed the presence of a large number of clients of questionable character.
After a thorough search, the police team discovered a secret doorway concealed behind an unused refrigerator that led through a wall, which then led to a staircase.
It was through this door that the bar girls had managed to slip away seconds before the raid began.
The police team rushed to the terrace and was soon halted in its tracks by two menacing
Dobermans. One team member was almost mauled by the ferocious dogs.
The drama continued after the cops managed to subdue the dogs and they realised, to their horror, that five bar dancers were balanced precariously on the fourth storey terrace wall and were threatening to jump off if attempts were made to arrest them.
After much convincing, Rathod and his men managed to get the dancers to come down from their dangerous perch.
During the round up after the raid, 27 bar girls and 72 clients were arrested. "We have arrested 27 bar girls and several customers including the bar manager," said Rathod.
"Yes, it is true that the police team encountered fierce dogs on the terrace," he added.