HYDERABAD: Over a week after officials registered a case against Ariko Cafe, an ice cream parlour in Jubilee Hills here, for allegedly selling whiskey-infused gelato, the cafe’s management has accused them of filing a false case for refusing to pay a bribe.
The company alleged that they were “trapped” by the Excise police and filed complaints with the ACB, NHRC and law & order police against five officers.
Meanwhile, the Excise director has denied the allegation and highlighted the department’s unwavering stance against false accusations from “unethical businesses”.
Speaking to TNIE, the founder of Ariko Cafe, Sharath Chandra Reddy Gattu, who is also accused of being involved, insisted that the product was not on their menu.
“Back in 2018, we called in a chef from Italy and tried to experiment using non-alcoholic flavour in gelato as part of our brand KIARO. However, it was only for a week and we discontinued the product after that,” Gattu said.
Excise officials demanded Rs 25K bribe: Cafe management
On September 5, excise officials raided the manufacturing unit of the cafe and seized 11.5 kg of the ice cream allegedly laced with whiskey. Two employees were apprehended, and officials said the parlour had been selling whiskey-infused ice cream for some time, including to minors.
The founder alleged that the excise police found an old social media post and called in at Ariko Cafe, trying to order about 12 litres of whiskey-infused gelato. “We got at least 16 calls from the client and when they came to the manufacturing unit, they influenced the chefs to custom make the gelato for a party. A personal transaction of Rs 10,000 took place between the chef and the customer after which the chef bought a liquor bottle,” Gattu claimed.
Meanwhile, a few officers of the excise department entered the unit and found the liquor bottle. The cafe’s management then alleged that an excise official had demanded a bribe of Rs 25,000. When they refused to comply, the officials registered a case against them.
“Moreover, the officers claimed that we sell the gelato to children. But there is no evidence that it is sold to minors,” the founder alleged, adding, “When they raided the store, where we sell, they did not conduct a fair investigation, yet they registered cases against the company.”
With regards to the complaint filed with the NHRC, Gattu said the officers had abused the people working at the eatery. “We have also lodged a complaint with the ACB asking them to conduct an investigation in a fair manner against the corrupt officers,” he added.
Received credible tip-off: Excise director
Denying these accusations, VB Kamalasan Reddy, director of the Excise department, said the raid was based on credible information regarding the sale of whiskey-laced ice cream. “The state Task Force team conducted a recce on Ariko Cafe, and after confirming excise violations, a decoy operation was carried out on September 5. The team found that 100 Pipers whiskey was being used in the preparation of ice cream, and a case was registered under provisions of the Excise Act,” he added.
Noting that operations of bakeries and cafes do not fall under the purview of the Excise department, Kamalasan said since there were liquor violations, the excise officials raided the cafe.
He reiterated that the department “would not back down in the face of false allegations from businesses engaging in unethical practices”.