Seven suspects held in Noida pub brawl case, two more absconding
The Gautam Budh Nagar Police on Wednesday arrested seven people accused of killing an employee of a private firm at a pub in Noida’s Gardens Galleria mall on Monday night. The seven suspects include five staffers of the pub and two members of the mall’s security team.
According to police, Brijesh Kumar Ray, one of seven employees of a private firm who visited the Lost Lemons pub on Monday, was allegedly assaulted by the pub’s staffers and the mall security staff after a scuffle broke out between his colleagues and the staffers over payment of a bill of ₹7,400.
According to the report, Ray died due to severe head injuries, a ruptured spleen and fluid in the stomach.
On Tuesday, the police had detained 16 staffers of the pub and mall as well as six of Ray’s colleagues who were with him at the time of the incident for questioning.
Upon investigating footage from CCTV cameras in the vicinity, the police discovered nine suspects involved in the assault, and identified eight of them--pub staffers Kumar Singh, Himanshu Kumar, Devendra Singh (manager), Maddy Thakur and Sundar Singh (manager), and mall bouncers/security staff Kapil Singh and Guddu Singh.
“Out of the eight identified suspects, seven have been arrested while two suspects-one identified and one unidentified--are still at large. Of the seven, two are managers of the pub. In the CCTV footage, the suspects can be seen hitting Ray on the head and abdomen, which led to grievous injuries resulting in his death,” said additional deputy police commissioner (Noida) Ranvijay Singh.
Ranvijay Singh added that four police teams have been deployed to nab the two suspects on the run.
According to a statement from Luv Dhingra, the owner of Lost Lemons, the restaurant does not employ bouncers or security staff.
Another restaurateur at the Gardens Galleria mall said that none of the restaurants in the mall are allowed to hire their own bouncers. “Instead, the mall management provides bouncers or security staff who are deployed around the pubs. They usually intercede when an argument turns into a scuffle or a brawl,” said the restauranteur on condition of anonymity.
“Drunken brawls are very common at the mall and hence bouncers are required to ensure decorum is maintained,” said a security guard at the Gardens Galleria Mall, Noida.
Gardens Galleria mall Security in-charge Virendra Tyagi did not respond to calls and messages despite repeated attempts.
Officers are investigating whether a police verification of these staffers was done. They said they will intensify police presence around the mall.
“Policemen equipped with breathalysers will be stationed outside the mall to check drunk drivers. Apart from this, police verification of all security staff of the mall and staffers of the pub will be carried out soon,” said Singh.
On Wednesday evening, Alok Singh, the Gautam Budh Nagar commissioner of police, ordered that all employees of bars and pubs across the district need to get their antecedents verified by the police. “The district excise officer has also been instructed to ensure the same,” the order stated.
Meanwhile, Gautam Budh Nagar Police has written to the district excise officer, requesting the department to cancel the bar licence of Lost Lemons pub.
“We have written a letter to the district excise officer, requesting him to cancel the bar licence of the pub in view of the recent incident that resulted in the death of a patron,” said the ADCP.
Gautam Budh Nagar district excise officer Rakesh Bahadur Singh said that a show-cause notice has been sent to the owner of Lost Lemons pub.
“A show-cause notice has been sent to the owner of the pub where the incident took place, asking him to reply why the law and order situation at the pub deteriorated. The party has to reply within seven days and if their reply is not found satisfactory, their bar licence will be cancelled,” he said, adding the bar licence of the pub will be cancelled only after an investigation.
“We have also received the police’s letter and will discuss the matter with the district magistrate. The decision of cancelling the bar licence of the pub will be taken after an investigation. Currently, the pub is sealed and its licence is suspended,” said Rakesh Bahadur Singh, adding the Lost Lemons pub was licensed to serve liquor till 1am.
He added that 14 pubs in Gardens Galleria mall have permanent bar licences while 15-20 others acquire occasional licenses to operate their bars on a daily basis.
“The licences of all pubs in the mall are being checked and excise officers are inspecting the premises to ensure that all norms are being followed,” said Rakesh Bahadur Singh.