3 held for running illegal hookah bars

kolkata: Three persons were arrested on Thursday night for allegedly running two hookah bars illegally. According to police, on Thursday night sleuths from the

Detective Department conducted a raid at a building located on Allenby road

and found two hookah bars were running illegally on the ground and first floors. During the raid, cops found that the instruction of the state government owing to the pandemic situation was not being followed.

Police have seized hookah bases, pipes, flavoured tobacco and other objects from the two hookah bars. It has been alleged that the hookah bars do not have any permission to run.

Later, three persons were arrested from the two bars and a case was registered at the Bhowanipore police station against the accused.

They have been booked under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC along with relevant section of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act.

Cops are probing the case to find out whether any drug dealing used to take place there or not.

Since the incident of Covid protocols violation at the Park Hotel, cops had been instructed to keep a strict vigil on the cafes and hotels and other places where people gather for celebration.

Earlier, cops had conducted raids at several hookah bars in the city and arrested many people for involvement in illegal activities.