Nagpur: Continuing its city-wide crackdown under ‘Operation Thunder – Let’s Build a Drug-Free Society’, the Ambazari Police raided an illegal hookah parlour operating under the guise of a café in Ramnagar and booked 31 people, including the café owner and manager, for running and consuming banned tobacco-based hookah products.
The raid took place between 12:40 am and 1:35 am on October 18, at Tamasha Café, located at Bhagwati Heights, Savata Mala, near Ramnagar Chowk. Acting on specific intelligence, police teams conducted a surprise inspection in the presence of witnesses and found the accused supplying and consuming prohibited hookah materials.
The arrested include café owner Hemant Rajkumar Gurubakshani (36), resident of L.A.D. Chowk, Nagpur, and manager Amit Prakash Gotamare (21), resident of Telkhamthi, Kalmeshwar. Both were allegedly running the illegal hookah parlour in collusion with 29 customers, including men and women, who were caught red-handed during the raid.
Police seized hookah pots, flavoured tobacco, and related materials worth ₹14,700 from the premises. Investigations confirmed that the accused were operating the hookah lounge illegally for monetary gain.
A case has been registered at Ambazari Police Station under Section 274 of the BNS, Sections 5, 6, 7, and 20 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, as amended by the Maharashtra Act of 2018, and Sections 33(R), 33(W), and 131 of the Maharashtra Police Act. Further investigation is underway.
The action comes under the directive of Commissioner of Police Dr. Ravindra Singhal, who launched “Operation Thunder” to target illegal drug and tobacco activities and promote a healthy, drug-free social environment in Nagpur.
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