The State Monitoring Cell raided alleged illegal hookah bars at four cafes and restaurants across Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar on November 4, seizing hookahs, chillums, flavour packets and other equipment. The action covered Chandkheda, Gujarat College Road and Sindhu Bhavan Road in Ahmedabad, along with Infocity in Gandhinagar.
The raids were conducted following information that nicotine-based hookah services were continuing at cafes despite a ban on hookah bars in Gujarat. The report said the State Monitoring Cell acted on instructions from Gujarat police chief G. S. Malik after concerns that local police were not taking action against such establishments.
At Kings Cafe near Shri Khodiyar Kathiyawadi Hotel at Zundal Circle, within the Chandkheda police station area, the team found the alleged hookah bar operating. The operation was described as the second such hookah-bar action in the Chandkheda area. Cafe owner Savan Kumar Dalpatbhai Parmar, a person handling the counter and another person involved in preparing hookahs and flavours were found at the premises. Police seized hookahs, chillums, flavour packets and other related material.
Another raid took place at TC’s Lounge and Restaurant on Gujarat College Road, within the Ellisbridge police station area, after the team received information about an alleged hookah bar. The report identified owner Pathik Bhupendrabhai Shah, manager Kunal Bhadrankbhai Shah, cashier Haresh Rameshbhai Thakor and five other restaurant employees among the eight people found at the establishment. Hookahs, flavour packets, chillums and other material were seized.
The State Monitoring Cell also raided Jackal Live Cafe near Kanset Party Plot on Sindhu Bhavan Road. The cafe’s owner, Jigar Hasmukhbhai Patel, was found at the premises, where police reportedly discovered hookahs with pipes and other equipment used for the alleged operation. The material was taken into police custody.
In Gandhinagar, the team targeted Temptation Cafe in the basement of Hotel Jai Krishna on Airport Road, within the Infocity police station area. The cafe operator, Rohitkumar Sudama Pandey, was found at the location, and police seized several hookahs and other related material.
The operation places renewed attention on enforcement gaps around commercial venues that continue offering prohibited services. The raids were carried out by the State Monitoring Cell rather than the local police units in whose areas the establishments were located. The report did not provide details of the offences registered, the quantity of seized material at each location or the next legal action against the people identified during the raids.
