A day after late-night raids exposed illegal hookah parlours at three cafes in Gokulpeth, the City Police sealed all three establishments for 30 days. During the operation, police found 84 youngsters, including several girls, inside the parlours.The raids were carried out on May 11 within the jurisdiction of Ambazari Police Station as part of an ongoing crackdown on illegal hookah parlours and tobacco-related activities in the city. At Soro Cafe, Bhange Complex, N B Road, Gokulpeth, police allegedly caught operator Dnyaneshwar Ganpati Paunikar along with six waiters supplying banned tobacco-based hookah products to customers.

 

Officers found 17 male and five female customers consuming hookah at the premises. Hookah pots, flavoured tobacco and other materials worth Rs 1.16 lakh were seized during the action. In all, 29 people were booked in the case. Police then raided Nimbus Lounge, 221, Laxmi Apartment, NB Road, Ambazari, where operator Sheikh Sameer Vakil Ahmed (32), a resident of Shaha Nagar, Katol Road, Gittikhadan and his staff were allegedly found serving prohibited hookah products to customers. During the raid, 23 male and three female customers were present inside the café. Police seized materials worth Rs 71,055 from the premises and booked 41 persons.

 

In a similar action at Hash Cafe at Gokulpeth, police found operator Arslan Fahim Mirza (24), a resident of Mirza Manzil, Mahal, and a waiter allegedly supplying hookah products to nine male and four female customers. Articles worth Rs 40,780 were seized, while 15 persons were booked. Officials said notices had earlier been issued to the operators by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 2 Nityanand Jha. However, after receiving no response from the cafe owners, the police ordered the sealing of Soro Cafe, Nimbus Lounge and Hash Cafe for 30 days from May 11, 2026. Comissioner of Police (CP) Dr Ravinder Kumar Singal said that the action would be continued across the city. All the hookah parlours and drug-related activities will be dealt with an iron hand, the CP assured.