84 rescued from hookah parlours in midnight raids

Nagpur: The city police recently raided three illegal hookah parlours in Gokulpeth area at midnight rescuing 84 persons from allegedly locked premises. The operation, supervised by CP Ravinder Singal, DCP Rashmitha Rao, and DCP Nityanand Jha, exposed serious safety violations disguised as hospitality businesses.At one of the cafes, operated by Dnyaneshwar Paunikar, police found 29 persons (17 men and 5 women along with staff) consuming hookah inside dense smoke-filled enclosed rooms. Hookah pots, flavoured tobacco products, cylinders, furniture, and related materials were seized.At another cafe run by owner Sheikh Sameer, where 41 persons (23 men, 3 women, and 14 waiters and staff) were allegedly confined for several hours. Customers were allegedly prevented from leaving as hookah sessions continued. Fearing suffocation, police immediately called the fire brigade, forcibly opened the exits, and safely evacuated everyone.In the third raid, at a cafe owned by Arslan Faim Mirza, the premises were found locked from outside with 14 persons (9 men and 4 women along with staff) allegedly trapped inside. Fire brigade personnel had to break open the entrance to rescue them.Cases have been registered under BNS for wrongful restraint and wrongful confinement, along with provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, and Maharashtra Police Act.