Hyderabad: Police raided Hookah centers in Old city, 10 minors among 230 held

City Police in the wee hours of Sunday, raided hookah parlours in old city and arrested about 230 persons including 10 minors. The all accused were puffing on hookah at unauthorized hookah centres in Chandrayanagutta police limits.

Later, police conducted counseling for the detainees in the presence of their parents and let them off.  “Some other youngsters, who were caught at the hookha centres, escaped from our custody,” said deputy commissioner of police V Satyanarayana.

The main intention of the police was to call their parents and conduct counseling in their presence to make them know the late-night activities of their children. The names and addresses of those who escaped were with the police and cases would be registered against them, he said.

Police also booked the cases against 11 parlour owners for violating norms. The hookah centres were sealed for operating illegally without valid licences. Few hookah centres also allow customers to use the swimming pool during late night hours who were swimming for bets. Betting is also rampant at snooker parlours,” DCP, South Zone, V Satyanarayana, said.
The raid followed a recent High Court ruling that hookah centres shall not be kept open beyond 11 pm for its customers and that they must necessarily exhibit sign boards that children aged below 18 years are not liable to be entertained as guests.
A similar operation was conducted against owners of horse stables following complaints from teenaged girls that horse-riders were behaving rudely with them while riding on horses on streets at night.
“Police have no objection to horses being hired for wedding baaraat, etc. But there should not be any nuisance or eve-teasing on the roads. Police counselled the horse-owners not to give their horses to youth for riding,” the DCP said.