Over 100 youths were arrested by the Hassan police in the wee hours of Sunday for taking part in a rave party. A police team consisting of 50 personnel had conducted a raid at a homestay in Honkaravalli village in Hassan district. The youths were reportedly from Bengaluru and Mangaluru. Many had traveled to the village owing to the night curfew and other restrictions imposed in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases.
According to a The Hindu report, some had travelled to Hassan in vehicles which had emergency duty stickers pasted on them. Police said intoxicants and alcohol were being illegally served at the party. The police recovered small quantities of LSD, MDMA, and ganja from the participants. They also seized over 50 two-wheelers and 20 cars from the site. Along with the youths, the owner of the homestay named Gagan was also detained by the police.They have been booked under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, said SP Srinivas Gowda.
BR Gopi, Deputy Superintendent, Sakleshpur told Times of India that they detained around 120 youths for questioning and their blood samples were also collected. He said that around 30% of the revellers were from Bengaluru and the rest from Mangaluru. They are all employed and not students, he added.
According to TOI, participants of the rave party confirmed their attendance via an online application for a homestay. The location is kept under wraps until the last minute, the DSP added.
Night curfew has been imposed from Saturday, April 10 in seven major cities in Karnataka including Bengaluru and Mangaluru. The night curfew from 10pm to 5am has been imposed until April 20. Karnataka recorded over 10,000 COVID-19 cases on Sunday, with Bengaluru accounting for more than 7500 infections.