Dramatic Pune Police Raid: Fire Brigade Called to Break Into Illegal Hookah Parlour, 7 Booked

Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 30th January 2026: The Swargate Police, in a dramatic operation on Friday, busted an illegal hookah parlor operating under the guise of a hotel at Laxminarayan Chowk. The police had to enlist the help of the Fire Brigade to break open the shutters after the staff locked themselves inside to evade the raid.

According to the press release issued by the Pune City Police, officials received a tip-off on January 30, 2026, regarding illegal hookah activities at the ‘El-Dinero’ hotel, located on the third floor of the Modi Plaza building in Swargate.

Acting on the intelligence, a team led by Police Inspector (Crime) Vikas Bharmal and PSI Sujata Jadhav reached the spot. Upon arrival, the police found the hotel shutter locked from the inside. Despite repeated announcements and knocking, the occupants refused to open the door.

Authorities then summoned the Janata Fire Station team from Parvati. With the assistance of fire brigade personnel, the locks were broken, and the police team gained entry. Inside, they found customers being served tobacco-based hookah flavors, which are hazardous to human health, for commercial gain.

Seizure and Arrests
The police seized hookah pots, chillums, banned tobacco flavors, and other materials worth a total of ₹22,560.

A case has been registered against seven individuals, including the hotel owner and staff. The accused have been identified as:
Pratik Vikas Mehta (Owner, Res: Dhankawadi)
Sunny Sundar Parihar (Manager, 33, Res: Gultekdi)
Deepak Satbhushan Jain (Waiter)
Mosin Dilmohammad Shaikh (Waiter)
Anmol Sarvan Shrestha (Waiter)
Parvat Suraj Parihar (Waiter)
Dhol Bahadur Parihar (Waiter)

During interrogation, the manager, Sunny Parihar, revealed that he and the waiters were serving hookah to customers on the instructions of the owner, Pratik Mehta.

Legal Action
The accused have been booked under Case Reg. No. 20/2026 at Swargate Police Station. Charges include Section 123 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, along with Sections 4-A, 21-A, and 3(5) of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA – Maharashtra Amendment 2018).

The operation was conducted under the guidance of Additional CP (West) Rajendra Bansode, DCP (Zone 2) Milind Mohite, and ACP Dhanyakumar Godse. The team included PI Vikas Bharmal, PSI Sujata Jadhav, and constables Tonpe, Kudalkar, Thombre, Jadhav, and Salve.