Illegal hookah bar busted at Bru Roast Café on SG Highway, ₹35,809 worth of material seized

Acting on a tip-off, Sarkhej police on Wednesday night conducted a raid on an illegally operating hookah bar running under the guise of a café on SG Highway. The establishment, Bru Roast Café, located near Falcon Motors on Sarkhej-Makarba Road, was found serving nicotine-laced hookahs to customers without any legal authorisation.

The surveillance team of the Sarkhej police conducted the operation based on a tip-off while they were patrolling near the YMCA Club on SG Highway. 

During the investigation, it was revealed that the café was being managed by one Habib Ahmed (22), originally from Assam, and working as an employee at the establishment. Another individual, Justin Perera, a resident of Anand, informed the police that he had rented the restaurant space for ₹50,000 per month.

Further investigation revealed that the café was jointly run by three partners—Divyarajsinh Chavda (resident of Gandhinagar), Hamidbhai (resident of Sarkhej), and Vinay Tiwari (also from Gandhinagar).

Upon inspection, the police found that the café had no valid licence to operate a hookah bar. They were offering customers hookahs containing nicotine-based flavours under the pretext of herbal blends. Police seized equipment and material worth ₹35,809 from the premises. The Sarkhej police have registered a case under relevant sections and are pursuing further legal action.