In continuance with their action against illegal and immoral activities in the twin-cities, the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) Police Commissionerate raided a club which doubled up as a hookah joint in Bhayandar on Thursday.
According to the police, following specific information about use of nicotine and tobacco laced hookah being served by Blue Moon Club- a hotel operating from the Golden Nest area of Bhayandar (east)- a police team from the Navghar police station led by Senior Police Inspector- Milind Desai under the instructions of ACP- Vilas Sanap raided the premises.
Apart from other incriminating material, the team seized hookah pots and tobacco-laced flavours. While the operator and staffers of the establishment were taken into custody for facilitating the illegal activities, nearly 34 soliciting customers were also rounded up and booked, said the police.
A case under the provisions of the Epidemic Act, Disaster Management Act and relevant sections of the IPC and Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution Act) - (COPTA), 2003 has been registered against all the accused.
However, as usual the actual beneficiaries of the illicit trade-especially the owners of the establishment who allowed the activities in their premises managed to evade the police action. Further investigations were underway. Several bars and eateries in the twin-city are openly serving tobacco-laced hookah to their clientele under the garb of herbal flavours.