The State Monitoring Cell raided four cafés and lounges in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar on November 3 over alleged illegal hookah operations, detaining customers and operators at some locations and seizing hookahs, tobacco, flavours, chillams and coal worth ₹2,72,004, according to Sandesh.
The coordinated action was carried out at four premises after the agency received information about hookah services allegedly operating under the guise of cafés and lounges. The raids covered the Tempation Café in Gandhinagar, TC’s Lounge and Restaurant in Ahmedabad’s Ellisbridge area, Kings Café in Chandkheda and Jackal Live Café in Sarkhej.
At Tempation Café in Gandhinagar, the State Monitoring Cell detained the operator along with 12 customers, the report said. At TC’s Lounge and Restaurant in Ellisbridge, officials found around eight people during the operation. The report did not specify whether all those found at the premises were detained or what individual charges, if any, were recorded against them.
The team also conducted an inspection at Kings Café in Chandkheda, where legal action was initiated against three people. At Jackal Live Café in Sarkhej, officials found hookah materials and equipment allegedly being used for illegal operations.
Across the four premises, the seized items included hookahs, hookah flavours, tobacco, chillams and coal used for burning. The State Monitoring Cell put the combined value of the seized material at ₹2,72,004. The seizure indicates that the enforcement action focused not only on the presence of customers but also on the equipment and consumables needed to operate hookah services.
The raids highlight the enforcement challenge created when regulated or prohibited activities are conducted inside establishments presented as cafés, lounges or restaurants. Such action requires coordination between an enforcement agency and local police stations because the premises operate within the city’s commercial areas and may serve customers during normal business hours.
According to the report, the State Monitoring Cell informed the police stations concerned after the raids. Non-cognisable entries were recorded at the relevant police stations, and further investigation was initiated. The report did not provide details of the specific legal provisions invoked, the identities of the operators or the next hearing or investigation milestones.
The case also leaves open questions about how the four establishments were licensed, whether previous complaints had been received and how inspections of cafés and lounges are conducted across Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. Those details were not included in the available report. The police and enforcement authorities are expected to take further action as the investigation proceeds.
