Location of luxury bungalow revealed to partygoers at last moment: Police on Tulapur raid

Pune: After a raid at a party in Tulapur in the wee hours of Sunday, a police probe has revealed that the event organisers and some pub owners involved kept the location of the luxury bungalow venue a secret, and disclosed it to partygoers only at the last moment.

On Monday, Pune commissioner of police (CP) Amitesh Kumar commented on the development and said, “We will not allow such illegal parties in and around the city. Our teams will track them down.”

The party organisers had taken permission from the state excise department and the closing deadline of the party was 11.30pm on Saturday. However, the party continued till the police raided it around 2.30am on Sunday. As many as 78 people, among whom were those responsible for organising the party, were detained and released after questioning. A case was lodged against them at Lonikand police station later on Sunday evening.

The event was attended by around 200 people, mostly young men and women, mainly from Pune, Mumbai, Jaipur, Delhi and some other cities across India.

Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Gauhar Hasan confirmed, “The location of the poolside party venue was kept secret, and it was disclosed to the partygoers at the last moment.”

Hasan added, “Our investigations revealed that some pub owners decided to conduct the private poolside party at a luxury bungalow and named it after a movie released in 2012, titled Project X. They discussed the party with their event manager, who floated an ad on a social media site and also sold tickets using the online platform of a ticket-selling agency. However, neither the online ad nor the ticket specified the venue.”

“The venue and route were kept secret, and were disclosed online to the people who bought the tickets just a few hours prior to the event. Following this, the attending crowd reached the bungalow,” he said.

According to the police, party organisers charged an entry fee of Rs1,500 for single women, Rs2,500 for couples, and Rs3,000 for single men (stags).

“After the raid, we conducted alcohol tests of the partygoers using breath analysers and 22 people were found to be drunk,” the DCP further said. Police earlier said they had found small quantities of marijuana on some of the revellers, as also banned hookah pots and flavours at the venue, which were seized.

‘Counselling sessions for partygoers, their parents’

CP Kumar on Monday also said the police will organise counselling sessions for the young partygoers found at the bungalow during the raid, as well their parents.

“We want youngsters not to indulge in illegal activities in future and will conduct a counselling session for them,” he Kumar said.

The party was attended by 107 young men and 49 young women, all aged between 21 years and 30 years. Police said the session will brief them about the harmful impact of alcohol and drugs on the human body.