Bhayandar: The Thane (rural) police led by ASP Atul Kulkarni has initiated a fresh crackdown against live orchestra bars involved in vulgarity. Acting on a tip-off, the team raided Hotel Anna Palace, a notorious ladies bar operating in the jurisdiction of the Navghar police station, an hour past midnight on Sunday and arrested 70 people including 20 bar maids along with the staffers and soliciting customers.
While the so-called female singers lip-synced to blaring background music, tipsy patrons were not only found shaking a leg with bar maids but also showered wads of currency notes on them, sources said.
While all the accused have been booked under section 294 (indulging in obscene acts and songs) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, the police also recovered cash amounting Rs. 27,000 from the bar premises. In an attempt to hoodwink cops on regular inspection duty, the bar operators make girls sit on the stage as singers who would later get down and indulge in obscene acts, police said.