Ariko Cafe in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills was recently accused of serving alcohol-infused gelato to kids. The Excise Department raided the cafe on September 6 for allegedly serving whiskey-laced gelatos and even arrested several individuals. Now, the cafe has taken to social media to address the matter and has denied all the allegations. Read on to know more.
Hyderabad’s Ariko Cafe Accused Of Serving Alcohol-Infused Gelato
Hyderabad’s Ariko Cafe has found itself in the middle of a controversy for allegedly serving alcohol-laced gelatos to kids. As per a Hindustan Times report, a team of Excise Department officials raided the cafe on September 6. The officials were, reportedly, suspicious that the cafe was serving alcohol-infused gelatos.
During the raid, the Excise Department team seized about 23 pieces, totalling 11.5 kg of whiskey ice cream from the cafe. Reportedly, they registered a case against Ariko Cafe and even arrested several individuals. It is to be noted that any restaurant or cafe needs to acquire special licences to serve alcohol or alcohol-related products on their premises. Ariko Cafe did not have any such licence.
Cafe Explains The Entire Incident On Social Media
Ariko Cafe has denied all allegations of serving alcohol-laced gelato in their cafe. To clear the air and present their own side of the story, the cafe took to Instagram to share all the details about this incident. In a post on Instagram, the cafe said that it was “crucial for their followers to know what actually happened.”
The cafe explained that an individual claiming to be from the US contacted the cafe and requested whiskey-flavoured gelato for a private gathering. When the cafe denied having alcohol options on the menu, he insisted and asked them to make the specific flavour for him. The post further highlighted that the cafe tried to communicate to the customer that “a special licence was required to produce the alcoholic gelato.”
The individual, however, convinced them to make a chocolate gelato base as a “special order.” This made the cafe staff believe that he had acquired the necessary licence. He also requested the cafe chef to purchase the alcohol for him and transferred ₹10,000 to his account. The customer then sent a driver to collect the order. Soon after that, a team of Excise Department officials conducted a raid on the cafe.
As per the cafe’s post, the officials found “no evidence of the cafe making alcohol-infused gelato.” According to them, they instead tried to “manipulate the scene by placing unrelated bottles of alcohol and olive oil to fabricate a false narrative.” The cafe also accused the officials of bribery in the post.
Now, the cafe has formally filed a complaint and requested a thorough investigation of this matter.
Cover Image Courtesy: Instagram/ariko.in
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