‘Fridge for drinks’ banner puts manager in soup

CHENNAI: A Triplicane hotel’s attempt to boost liquor sales with festival offers that included a lucky draw — with a TV, a washing machine and a fridge as prizes — for those who ran up bar bills of Rs 1,000 or more landed its manager behind bars on Sunday.

Based on a complaint from some people, police cracked down on Hotel Rivera, on Vallaba Agraharam Street, on several counts, including for putting up three huge banners, advertising it’s festival offers, without permission. Customers had started crowding the bar with a view to winning electronic appliances worth Rs 25,000.

Cases were booked against the hotel’s owner, S M K Mohammed Ali Jinnah, former AIADMK councillor and currently secretary of the Chepauk unit of the party’s minority wing, his personal assistant J Riyaz Ahmed, and manager, W Vincent Raj of K P Garden, Madhavaram.

However, only Vincent Raj and Riyaz Ahmed were arrested by the Zam Bazaar police.

A case has been registered under section 353 IPC (assault or criminal force to deter public servants from discharging their duty) and under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act.

The two reportedly resisted when policemen removed the banners advertising the festival offer.

Police said the manager had put up the banners a couple of days ago and they were also distributing pamphlets advertising various offers on liquor to passersby.

Police said advertising liquor sales violated the law, as did lucky draws as lotteries of any kind were banned.