Owner, manager of Pune restaurant booked for serving hookah, over 20 customers also face action

The Pune City Police’s Crime Branch of Monday night raided a restaurant in Vimannagar area for illegally serving hookah to its customers. Police have booked three persons, including the owner and the manager, and have initiated criminal proceedings against two dozen customers who were present at the club.

Crime Branch officials had received information that a well-known restaurant located at Devkar Chowk in Vimannagar area was illegally serving hookah to its customers. A joint team of Anti-Narcotics Cell of Units 1 and 2 of the Crime Branch and those from the Social Security Cell raided the restaurant around 9 pm on Monday.

Read | Pune: Woman dies by suicide after domestic row, husband held

Officials said there were at least two dozen customers at the establishment, against whom criminal proceedings have been initiated, and they may be subsequently fined by a competent court in Pune.

Story continues below this ad

During the raid, police seized a large number of hookah pots, flavour packets and smoking pipes.

Distribution of hookah was banned in Maharashtra in 2018 after the state government amended the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act.