New Delhi: At least 17 women were rescued and 11 people were arrested following a raid at a dance bar in Mumbai's Andheri. The women were found inside a secret basement that was connected to a make-up room in Deepa Dance Bar.
The secret room had all the facilities like AC, beds, food and water. The raid took place on Sunday night. The wall of the establishment had to be broken to find out cavities in which women were kept hidden.
"A tip-off was received that women were made to dance at the bar. An advanced electronic system was installed near the bar to alert those insides of any raid. We found a basement with beds and air conditioning. A case has been registered at Andheri police station," he was quoted by PTI in its report.
Initially, the investigators found that the toilets, storage rooms, and kitchen were all vacant. They questioned the manager and staff, who refuted the allegations repeatedly. The police also kept questioning the employees, but they too said there were no bar girls on the premises.
A large mirror in the make-up room caught the officials' attention during the raid. After repeated attempts, they failed to remove the mirror from the wall. The mirror was ultimately shattered with a hammer, revealing a short entrance leading to the secret basement, reports said.
An FIR has been registered against the manager and cashier in Andheri Police Station.
(With PTI Inputs)