Sources said that the police are in the process of taking action against a major player from Bandra who runs the hookah parlour business.
The Mumbai Police on Tuesday carried out raids at several hookah parlours across the city in response to the police commissioner’s assurance to the Bombay high court, promising to take action against the illegal parlours.
Sources said that the police are in the process of taking action against a major player from Bandra who runs the hookah parlour business. They added that this person, whose identity has not been revealed, is the biggest importer of hookah materials into the country. He allegedly procures materials from the gulf countries and supplies them across India.
According to the investigators, his interrogation may give police a plethora of information about the entire syndicate. “They may come to know where and how the illegal hookah parlours operate throughout the country,” said one of them.
The police believe that the person runs a team with scores of agents working for him. The procured hookah material is supplied to other cities and small towns through this network of agents.
Deputy commissioner of police Rajkumar Vhatkar, refusing to reveal anything specific about the raids, said, “The raids are on across the city. We are trying to understand the syndicate.”
The drive was taken up after police commissioner Arup Patnaik was summoned by the high court in response to a petition filed by social activist Vincent Nazareth. The petitioner alleged that the police have been adopting a lethargic attitude while taking action against the hookah parlours. He added that several parlours exist in violation of the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act. In the event of any complaint, the parlour owners are informed in advance about a raid planned at their business houses. Khar police station has been made a party to the case. A division bench of chief justice Mohit Shah and justice DG Karnik had summoned the police commissioner.
According to the police, hookah parlours are fast becoming a menace in the country as more and more youngsters are getting addicted to smoking hookah.
The investigators said that illegal hookah parlours are mushrooming throughout the country. Medical experts claim that smoking hookah is injurious to health. The officials involved with the investigation of the case say that these parlours attract youth by making hookah smoking look hip. They come up with various flavours to attract more customers.
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