Bareilly (UP), Apr 4 (PTI) Police have raided five cafes allegedly operating as hookah bars under the guise of regular coffee shops in Prem Nagar here, an officer said on Friday.
Around 13 people, including 10 men and three women, were detained during the operation on Thursday night, he said.
Bareilly Superintendent of Police (City) Manush Parik said the raids revealed that these establishments have been running hookah bars in their basements, where young customers consumed alcohol and other intoxicants.
Parik said an operation was launched following complaints that several cafes in the area were promoting substance abuse in violation of laws.
Owners of all five cafes were taken into custody for questioning, and it was revealed that none of the cafes had valid licenses to operate hookah bars, the SP said, adding that the sealing of the premises continued late into Thursday night.
He said the Food Safety and Drug Administration officials were called in for inspection, and a narcotics team will also carry out an investigation.
Parik said these illegal hookah bars have been running for a while. They have created private sections in their basements, where both adults and minors were offered hookahs, alcohol and narcotics.
When police arrived at the cafes, many customers tried to flee. However, police chose not to detain the customers and focused on the cafe owners and staff, the SP said.
Cases have been registered against all five establishments and strict legal action will follow, he added. PTI COR KIS RUK RUK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.