Cafe on Sonepat-Narela road providing alcohol, hookahs raided; 2 held

Mukesh Tandon

Sonepat, September 16

A joint team of the CM Flying Squad, Excise Department and the local police, raided a cafe on the Sonepat-Narela road, on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday and seized alcohol and hookahs. Two persons have been arrested in this regard.

130 bottles, 32 cans of beer seized

• As many as 130 bottles of beer, 32 cans of beer, 48 packets of cigarettes, e-cigarette, 7 small hookahs and one large hookah have been seized n Students were let-off with a social warning

The police team seized 130 bottles of beer, 32 cans of beer, 48 packets of cigarettes, e-cigarette, seven small hookahs and one large hookah. The cafe owners failed to produce any licence or permit for providing alcohol and flavoured hookah.

Following a tip-off received by the CM Flying Squad, a team led by DSP Ajeet Singh, Inspector Surender Singh and others, raided the café named ABCD, opposite a reputed institution. Around 150 students, including girls, were found taking alcohol, smoking flavoured hookah and cigarettes in an open compound.

The investigation revealed that two youths, Pradeep of Asawarpur and Kanwarpal of Libaspur, owned the cafe. They disclosed that Billu Pradhan of Rathdhana had rented out the land to them at Rs 10,000 per month, and an open area of one acre was provided by Vikas of Nangal Kalan village at a rented rate of Rs 1,10,000 per year.

DSP Ajeet Singh, CM Flying Squad said, “Around 150 students, including girls of reputed institutions have been released after giving them a social warning. Flavoured hookah and e-cigarettes are banned which were being provided without any valid documentation.”

A case has been registered against Pradeep and Pankaj under Section 269 and 270 of the IPC, Section 72 (C) and 61.4.20 of the Excise Act, Section 21 (1) of the COTPA Act and Sections 4 and 5 of the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act. “The two accused were produced in a court which sent them to judicial custody today,” said Inspector Sandeep Kumar, SHO, Sector 27. The investigation is underway. We have been trying to get information about the entire supply chain, he added.