• A large crowd of youths had attended the party, which had been organised targeting the long weekend prior to the Sinhala and Tamil New Year

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana   

A booze party themed ‘Purple Kiss’ organised without permission over Facebook at a restaurant in Nainamadama was raided by the Excise Officers on Saturday night and a youth, who was the mastermind was nabbed with some soft liquor.   

Excise Department’s countrywide flying squad Excise Bureau of Special Operations (BSO) Colombo raided the beach side restaurant in Nainamadama, which did not even possess a liquor licence to sell alcoholic beverages.   
Department’s spokesperson Commissioner Kapila Kumarasinghe told the Daily Mirror the BSO sleuths had used a decoy to send couple of officers under the guise of ‘party goers’ to attend the bash and purchase liquor from the organisers.   

The 22-year-old organiser, a resident of Wennappuwa had advertised through the Facebook to sell tickets of Rs.1, 000 each for a party themed ‘Purple Kiss’ with DJ music and a complimentary can of beer, for each ticket.   A large crowd of youths had attended the party, which had been organised targeting the long weekend prior to the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, the sources said.   

The party organisers also sold beers and wine for those who had entered the premises buying tickets. However, they had neither informed nor obtained permit to sell liquor for a public event. OIC Colombo Excise BSO Chief Inspector Pramesh Fernando and the team comprising Excise Corporals Sisil, Manjula, Harsha, Nilantha, Excise Guard Ramitha and Excise Guard Driver Asanka had taken part in the raid.   The arrested suspect had been released on Excise bail and is to be produced in Marawila Magistrate’s Courts on April 21st.