20, including 13 foreign students, held in Police raid at late-night farmhouse party

In a midnight raid on Friday, the Ahmedabad Rural Police busted a liquor and hookah party at Zephyr Stays Farmhouse near Shela, arresting 20 people, including 13 foreign nationals, six women, and two Indian organisers, for violating Gujarat’s prohibition laws.

The police action came after specific intelligence that a group of foreign nationals—mostly students from Gujarat University—were hosting an ‘annual get-together’ featuring liquor, loud music and hookahs at the farmhouse. The event was reportedly organised by John Cedrek, alias Kiptho, a Kenyan national.

According to officials, the farmhouse was booked for one night, and passes for the party were being sold through a closed WhatsApp group in three categories — ₹2,500, ₹10,000 and ₹25,000 for the Diamond Category, which included “unlimited alcohol”. The party, which began around 8 pm, continued till 3 am, when a joint team of Bopal Police, Local Crime Branch (LCB) and Special Operations Group (SOG) raided the venue.

The raid and arrests

Police officers entered the farmhouse posing as guests with passes before conducting the raid. They found several guests consuming alcohol and smoking hookah. In all, 51 bottles of foreign liquor, 22 beer tins, 13 hookahs, 15 hookah flavour packets, and 19 mobile phones were seized, along with a TUV 300 SUV. The total value of the seized goods was estimated at ₹6.57 lakh.

Fifteen people, including men and women, were found heavily intoxicated and were taken to Sola Civil Hospital for medical examination. Samples of the seized hookah substances have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to determine whether they contained narcotic or psychotropic substances. If confirmed, officials said, NDPS Act charges will be added.

The arrested accused include students and professionals from Kenya, Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros, and Botswana, along with two Indian bootleggers — Anant Rajendrabhai Kapil and Ashish Kantilal Jadeja, both residents of Motera — who allegedly supplied liquor for the event. The farmhouse owner, Milan Patel, was also arrested for allowing his premises to be used for the illegal gathering.

 “A rave-like environment”

Investigators described the event as a “rave-like party” with strobe lights, DJs, and loud music. Police said around 72 people were present at the farmhouse when the raid occurred, though many managed to escape through adjoining plots.

“Most of the attendees were African nationals studying in Gujarat University who had organised a private annual gathering. However, liquor consumption in any form is strictly prohibited in Gujarat,” said Om Prakash Jat, District Superintendent of Ahmedabad Rural Police

Prohibition Act invoked

A case has been registered under various sections of the Gujarat Prohibition Act. The accused have been remanded for interrogation to determine how the alcohol was sourced and whether similar parties had been organised earlier.

Police sources said digital evidence retrieved from the seized mobile phones may reveal details of previous events and networks involved in supplying liquor to foreign nationals and students in Ahmedabad.

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.