Owners of illegal hookah joints arrested

Nine people, including owners and managers of illegal hookah joints, were arrested in police raids on Friday and Saturday.

Seven teams of Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths conducted the raids following specific inputs that they were being run in violation of the law. Among the places raided were a hookah parlour at Orion Mall, 18+s Cafe in Banaswadi, Arabesque Cafe and Entropy cafe in Koramangala, 1-Ultra Lounge in Subramanyapura and Canopy Flavour in HSR Layout.

The CCB seized Rs 74,000 in cash along with hookah pots and accessories during the raids.

The CCB also cracked down on gambling at RG Royal Hotel in Mahalakshmi Layout, apprehending as many as 47 people and seizing Rs 9.33 lakh. The sleuths seized Rs 3.5 crore worth of tokens, liquor bottles and fake ID cards.

All the players were brought from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana with the organisers footing their air travel expenses, police said.