Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (JD)

Udupi, Aug 7: Manipal police have registered a case against the manager of a café and eight individuals for allegedly providing and consuming hookah during a raid conducted at a café in Vidyaratna Nagar, Manipal.

Acting on credible information received on August 6 that hookah was being served illegally at a café located on the first floor of a building on DC Office Road in Vidyaratna Nagar under the jurisdiction of the Manipal police station, a police team led by assistant sub-inspector Vaman conducted a raid.

The operation was carried out with the assistance of head constables Suresh Shetty and Chetan Kumar, and police constables Raviraj and Umesh.

During the inspection, police found eight young men seated inside the café allegedly smoking hookah. The individuals were identified as S Riyaz of Kundapur, Zeeshan Abdul Jahir of Byndoor, Mohammed Sameer of Gangolli, Mohammed Sawad of Udupi, Krishna of Udupi, Chirag of Udupi, Taranath of Kapu, and Anveeth of Udupi.

Police also detained the café's manager-cum-cashier, Mohammed Shafan (22), a resident of Thota House, Mannur village in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, for allegedly providing hookah to customers.

The hookah equipment was seized under a mahazar, and based on the report submitted by the raiding team, the Manipal police registered a case against the café manager and the eight individuals under the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA). Further investigation is underway.