Mumbai: 97 people booked for partying at hookah parlour in Jogeshwari

Oshiwara Police have booked at least 97 people found partying at a hookah parlour in suburban Jogeshwari early on Sunday. Acting on a tip-off, a team from the Oshiwara police station raided a hookah parlour named Bombay Brute (Mughal Sheesha), located on Link Road in suburban Jogeshwari and found people dancing, drinking and smoking hookah. Since any kind of gathering has been prohibited in the city amidst the pandemic and night curfew is in place, police had to stop the party.
According to police, there were three birthday celebrations simultaneously in progress and the manager, who has been made the main accused, had invited his old customers through messages and calls, saying the parlour had been opened again.
There where allegations of a police officer partying there as well. However, police said they did not come across anyone of their own during the raid.
"We found 28 women and 65 men partying at the parlour. They were booked along with the owner, manager and three waiters at the parlour, " said Dayanand Bangar, senior inspector, Oshiwara police station.
Since it was 3.30am, the women were released from the parlour after being served notices, while the 65 men where brought to the police station from where they were subsequently released on bail. Police said they found women dancing and the patrons were from various parts of the city, said an officer.
The hookah parlour manager Alfaz Firoz Kasam and the three waiters were produced in court, which remanded them in police custody. Police have also booked owner Imran Nail; however he is not yet arrested, said an officer.

All were booked under Indian Penal code (IPC) sections 294 (obscene Acts or words in public), 188 (disobeying the order of public servant), 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible mat­ter) and other sections of the Pandemic Act.