Goa Police busts rave party, seizes drugs worth lakhs

Twenty-three people including three foreigners were arrested after the crime branch raided a rave party on Saturday night where drugs were allegedly being used in North Goa district. Narcotics worth over Rs 9 lakh was seized from the party at a villa in Vagator village under Anjuna police station limits. Two women from Russia and one from the Czech Republic were among the 23 people arrested.

 In the intervening night of 15-16 August, three teams of the Crime Branch raided the villa and detained over 20 people from the party amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

 The three foreigners were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for allegedly possessing banned substance during the police raid. An Indian man, who organised the party, was also arrested under this act.

Nineteen others present there got arrested for violating social distancing norms. Most of them were domestic tourists who had come to the coastal state on vacation. Goa DGP Mukesh Kumar Meena tweeted, “Zero tolerance to #Drugs and Ensuring Public Safety #goapolice Crime Branch busted a late-night party in Anjuna. Around 23 people including three foreigners were arrested and narcotic drugs worth over nine lakh were seized.”

In July, the Goa government announced that it would re-open its borders to tourists for the first time since the nationwide lockdown was imposed in March and released a list of guidelines for travellers who plan on visiting the coastal state.

Tourists visiting Goa will not be required to quarantine upon arrival. Instead, the government has offered these alternatives — carry a Covid-19 negative certificate issued in the last 48 hours or get tested at their own cost at the state entry point upon arriving.

Once they reach Goa, all tourists will be required to visit the nearest tourism kiosk to undergo basic thermal screening and get their mandatory documents verified. Then they will be allowed to proceed.