Nagpur: The Sitabuldi police have booked the owner and manager of a rooftop restaurant in Dharampeth for allegedly providing hookah to customers despite the ban on hookah parlours in Maharashtra. Police seized 12 glass hookah pots and other related equipment worth around ₹15,000 during the action.

The action was carried out at De Martini Lounge Rooftop Restaurant, located near Coffee House Square in Dharampeth, between 1:45 am and 3 am on September 23, 2026, following a tip-off received by the team of Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 2.

Acting on the information and under the guidance of DCP Annapurna Singh, police raided the restaurant and found some customers allegedly consuming hookah. They were taken into custody with the assistance of the restaurant staff.

During a search conducted in the presence of panch witnesses, police found 12 glass hookah pots of different colours, rubber pipes, chillums and other equipment allegedly used for serving hookah to customers. The entire material, estimated to be worth ₹15,000, was seized.

Police booked restaurant owner Ritik Jitendra Bhavsar (34), a resident of Vaishali Nagar, and manager Nitesh Dharmendra Patel (27), a resident of Dharampeth, under Sections 4(A), 5 and 21 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, as amended in Maharashtra.

The case pertains to allegedly making hookah available to customers at a restaurant despite the prohibition on hookah parlours. Further investigation is underway.

The action was carried out by the Zone 2 team under the direction of DCP Annapurna Singh.