The State Monitoring Cell (SMC) raided a cafe near the Jhundal underpass in Ahmedabad on October 29 after receiving information that it was allegedly operating an illegal nicotine hookah bar, according to a report by Gujarat Samachar. Five people were found at the premises and material valued at Rs 62,100 was seized.
The raid took place at Cherris Cafe, where the SMC team suspected that customers were being served tobacco-based hookahs under the description of herbal flavours. The operation was reportedly conducted after the agency received specific information about the use of nicotine-containing tobacco at the cafe.
The people found at the premises included cafe operator Abdul Hamid Sheikh, a resident of Panna Residency in Sarkhej, and four employees identified as Rizwan Ali, Ainul Islam, Dilwar Hussain and Majid Alam. The four employees were originally from Assam, the report said.
The seized material included 10 hookahs valued at Rs 15,000, 43 pipes valued at Rs 2,150, 28 hookahs valued at Rs 42,000, 90 chillums valued at Rs 900, one foil roll and 2 kilograms of coal. The total value of the seized items was placed at Rs 62,100.
A station diary entry numbered 172/2026 was recorded at Chandkheda police station, and further legal action was initiated, according to the report. The supplied report does not specify the exact legal sections applied or whether a formal charge sheet has been filed.
The raid has also brought the functioning of local enforcement agencies under scrutiny. The report raises allegations that the activity may have continued with the alleged knowledge or tolerance of local intermediaries, including claims involving four administrators and a retired police employee. Those claims were not independently established in the supplied material and have not been presented here as confirmed findings.
The incident highlights the enforcement challenge created when businesses present hookah services as herbal or flavoured offerings while allegedly using nicotine-based tobacco. Identifying the substance being served, documenting the equipment and recording the premises involved are central to determining the nature of the violation.
The immediate official action recorded in the report is the seizure of the equipment, the Chandkheda police station entry and the initiation of further legal proceedings. The report does not provide details of any subsequent departmental inquiry into the local police response or identify the next scheduled legal hearing.
