Ahmedabad, Gujarat: In a late-night operation, Ahmedabad Police raided a farmhouse in the Shilaj area and detained 20 individuals, including 13 foreign students, for allegedly participating in a liquor-fueled rave party. The raid occurred around 2:30 AM on Saturday at Zephyr Stays Farmhouse, where authorities found approximately 72 people present, though some managed to escape.
Acting on a tip, police officers in plain clothes purchased entry passes to infiltrate the party, which was being promoted as an "annual get-together". The event was reportedly organized by a Kenyan national, John Sandrik, also known as Kiptho, who marketed it as an "Annual Get Together". Passes were sold privately via WhatsApp, with prices ranging from ₹700 to ₹25,000, offering varying levels of access and services. Diamond category passes, the most expensive, included "unlimited alcohol".
Ahmedabad district SP Om Prakash Jat stated that those arrested included residents of Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Botswana, many of whom are students at Gujarat University residing in the NRI hostel. In addition to the foreign nationals, seven Indian citizens were apprehended, including Milan Patel, the farmhouse owner, a DJ operator, a hookah supplier, and liquor distributors Anant Kapil and Ashish Jadeja.
During the raid, police seized 51 bottles of foreign liquor, 15 hookahs, 19 mobile phones, and a car, collectively valued at approximately ₹7 lakh. Authorities also confiscated 29 sealed bottles of foreign liquor, 22 beer tins, glass tumblers, plastic glasses, hookah flavors, charcoal packets, entry passes, and cash amounting to ₹40,200. SP Jat clarified that no narcotics were found at the venue. The seized hookahs have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to check for the presence of drugs.
A case has been registered under several sections of the Gujarat Prohibition Act and for criminal conspiracy. The accused have been remanded for interrogation to determine the source of the liquor and whether similar parties had been organized earlier. Police sources indicated that digital evidence retrieved from the seized mobile phones might reveal details of previous events and networks involved in supplying liquor to foreign nationals and students in Ahmedabad.
Investigators described the event as resembling a "rave-like party" with strobe lights, DJs, and loud music. Authorities reiterated that no one is exempt from Gujarat's prohibition laws, and further action will be taken based on FSL reports and digital forensics. Gujarat has a strict prohibition law banning the sale and consumption of alcohol.
