In a pre-dawn swoop, over 100 police personnel raided a resort off East Coast Road (ECR) near Mamallapuram and detained over 160 revellers, including seven women, from a rave.
At the second rave busted in the State in as many days, the police seized party drugs, liquor, ganja and other substances. Most of the revellers were college students, call centre employees and a couple of young married couples.
Around midnight on Sunday, Tiruvallur District Superintendent of Police (SP) R. Ponni, who is also in charge of the Kancheepuram district police, received information from the police headquarters about a rave being organised at Odour Resort, located in Pattipulam near Mamallapuram, off ECR.
The resort looked like a residential apartment complex in a secluded area near Mamallapuram. Cars and motorcycles were abandoned outside the premises and broken liquor bottles were strewn everywhere.
Immediately, the SP mobilised two ASPs, four DSPs, five Inspectors and over 100 policemen from both districts after issuing instructions over the wireless.
Initially, police personnel thought they were going to take on rowdies who had assembled at the resort. Each team was assigned a specific task, sources said.
Police operation
At 12.30 a.m., Ms. Ponni led a team inside the resort while another team scaled the compound wall surrounding the premises.
On seeing the police, the revellers tried to escape but the police personnel rounded them up within minutes. The youth were found with party drugs and liquor. Police searched the premises and frisked the revellers.
Over 160 persons, including seven women aged between 18 and 20, were taken into custody after the operation, which went on till 3.30 a.m.
Police categorised the detained lot into three categories — revellers, women and the organisers — and lodged them separately at a wedding hall and the Mamallapuram police station. They were grilled for a few hours.
Ms. Ponni told The Hindu, “The persons detained are mostly youngsters in the age group of 18-28 years who are either students, call centre staff, IT staff or people who work in the film industry, and mostly from the city and its surrounding areas.”
No excise permit
The invite for the rave was circulated on the pretext of a get-together and a DJ party by Prabhu on Facebook and WhatsApp, for an entry fee of ₹1,000 each, besides providing intoxicants for use to the youngsters on a cash basis.
Liquor was also being served at the party without any excise permit, she said.
Most of the revellers and the women were let off after obtaining a letter stating they would not take part in such events again. The role of the resort owner is being investigated.
The police arrested 12 persons, the organisers, under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, and Tamilnadu Prohibition Act and remanded them in judicial custody.
On the orders of the Kancheepuram District Collector, P. Ponniah, the premises were sealed.