Mumbai – Indradev Pandey
The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) raided a lounge bar in Kashimira for allegedly serving nicotine and tobacco laced products inside its hookah enclosure. Notably, this is the third raid on this establishment within a period of 30 days.
Acting on information received by the crime branch regarding the use of nicotine and tobacco laced hookah being served at Hotel Get Set Tonight (GST)- a lounge bar located in Kashimira, police personnel from the ANC swooped down on the establishment late on Tuesday night and detained ten people including staffers and soliciting customers. The ANC also seized hookah pipes, pots, and tobacco laced smoking material from the spot.
This is the third raid on the establishment for committing a similar crime within a period of less than a month, exposing the brazenness of the operators who have been defying the rules despite the consecutive police action. Five people were arrested and hookah material worth more than Rs.73,000 was seized during the raid which was conducted by the Kashigaon police on the night of 9, May.
An offence under the relevant sections of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, COTPA- 2003 has been registered at the Kashigaon police station. The other case was related to a drunken brawl. Scores of illegal joints and bars in the twin-city have transformed into vice dens serving tobacco-laced products under the garb of herbal and flavoured hookah.
The hookah bars have become favourite hangouts for the youth and even teenager’s who are falling prey to the ill-effects of the habit-forming substance.
