Matunga dance bar under fire for inhumane treatment of bargirls

Cops raided Tandoor dance bar in Matunga West and found 13 girls hidden away. Pic/Ashish Raje

The management of Tandoor dance bar in Matunga is feeling the heat after the police rescued 13 bargirls, nine of whom were found semi-conscious after being crammed into a tiny cavity behind a bathroom. Police said had they not found the cavity in time, the girls could have suffocated to death. The Shivaji Park police have booked the manager for attempted culpable homicide.

"Nine of the girls were stuffed into a congested room without ventilation. Had our team not reached in time, it could have been dangerous for them," said Assistant Commissioner Of Police (Dadar Division) Rajendra Chavan.

Nine of the girls were crammed into a dank, windowless cavity behind the bathroom

On September 8, ACP Chavan was tipped off that bar girls were dancing vulgarly at Tandoor Bar and Restaurant. A team from the Dadar and Shivaji Park police was sent to raid the bar. First, around 11 pm, a scout was sent to check the facts, and he confirmed it. The team barged into the bar and found one girl dancing for a customer. The scout told the cops that he had seen more girls, so a search operation was carried out.

Secret rooms
"We found a ladder going up from the kitchen. Upstairs, we rescued three girls from a 8x12 ft room. Another team found a make-up room adjacent to the main hall, with an attached bathroom. One of the cops knocked on the bathroom tiles and heard a hollow sound," said an officer from the team. "When we tried to push the hollow tiles, we heard girls screaming," added the officer.

The police found a secret 3x15 ft unventilated cavity into which nine girls had been stuffed. "They were all drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. Some of them were in semi-conscious state. Had we not reached there in time, some could have died of suffocation," said another officer.

The police booked the manager Uday Shetty, 38, along with the waiters and customers. They all have been sent to judicial custody. Further investigation revealed that the bar is owned by one Sukumar Shetty, who had handed over day-to-day operations to one Dinesh Shetty. The cops will investigate their role too.

Also Read: Andheri Lounge Firing: High Profile Bargirl On Police Radar

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