Hotels, spa centres, restaurants raided in Amritsar

With the security forces on high alert following the ghastly terrorist attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, the police commissionerate today carried out surprise checking at spa centres, hookah bars and saloons, besides hotels across all three zones of the city.

During the campaign, the police raided 24 spa centres, 12 hookah bars and 52 saloons. The raiding teams were led by senior officials of the rank of Assistant Commissioners of Police. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said during checking, two hookah bars were found operating without any valid licence. Separate FIRs were registered at the Civil Lines and Ranjit Avenue police stations under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act against hookah bar operators identified as Ravi Chaurasia, Shubham Mahajan and Neeraj Sahota in this connection. The police also confiscated two hookahs and more than 80 hookah flavours, he said.

Officials said the Ranjit Avenue police got tip-off that Neeraj Sahota, manager of Blind Tiger restaurant, was serving hookahs illegally after which a raid was conducted and two hookahs and flavours were seized from the eatery. Ravi Chaurasia and Shubham Mahajan used to sell hookah flavours in the Railway station area, they said.

During raids, the police checked records of hotels. The police asked staff of hotels to maintain proper record of visitors and inform the authorities concerned about suspicious elements staying on their hotel premises.

Bhullar said the police had also launched a special campaign against flesh trade racket operating under the garb of spa centres.

Amritsar