CP Dr Ravinder Singal reiterates zero-tolerance against illegal hookah parlours in city

Nagpur: In a major crackdown under Operation Thunder, Nagpur City Police raided two prominent hookah cafés — Hammers Restaurant & Café at Kamal Chowk and Shosha Café on Ramnagar Road — for allegedly running illegal hookah operations. The action comes as part of the Commissioner of Police Dr Ravinder Singal’s directive to eliminate hookah-related activities from the city.

The raids were conducted simultaneously by Pachpaoli Police and Ambazari Police based on reliable intelligence. Police teams seized hookah pots, pipes, flavours, charcoal, and other equipment worth over ₹25,800 from both establishments.

The accused have been identified as Ranjit Sevagram Koche, Johnty Saloman Philips, Ajay Kishor Singh, and Gaurav Gajanan Kalpande. All have been booked under Section 274 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Amendment) Act, 2018, and the Maharashtra Police Act.

The operations were supervised by Sr PI Baburao Raut (Pachpaoli) and Sr PI Vinod Godbole (Ambazari) with teams comprising PSI Ranjit Majgaonkar, PSI Satish Meshram, and API Sharda Bhopale.

Commissioner Dr Singal emphasized that Nagpur Police will continue strict action under Operation Thunder to protect the city’s youth from addiction and ensure “No Hookah in Nagpur City.”