The Sarkhej police on Friday busted an alleged illegal hookah bar operating from Roja’s Café in Ambli and detained its owner, Praful Bharwad (44), for questioning.
Acting on a tip-off, police raided the café and seized hookah equipment and tobacco products worth around Rs 66,000. The confiscated items included hookahs, chillums, filter pipes, flavoured tobacco and coal.
Officials said the seized material has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for analysis to ascertain whether the tobacco products contain nicotine or any prohibited substances.
Police suspect the café had been offering hookah services illegally for some time and are investigating the duration of the operation and whether other individuals were involved.
The raid is part of Ahmedabad Police’s intensified drive against illegal hookah parlours and e-cigarette vendors across the city. Over the past three months, similar action has been taken in Sindhu Bhavan, Thaltej, Ellisbridge, Sola and Bodakdev, where eight cases have been registered.
In May, a special enforcement drive involving six police teams led to the seizure of illegal hookah materials and tobacco products worth Rs 17.6 lakh, as authorities stepped up efforts to curb unauthorised hookah operations in the city.