A hookah parlour owner, along with four management staff, are absconding after allegedly kidnapping and manhandling a teenage student, purportedly for his failure to settle a bill of Rs 18,000 after he threw a hookah party for his friends, the police said on Wednesday.
Banjara Hills sub-inspector Syed Nayeem said a case has been registered against M. Kaleem and his aides Qadeer, Mohammad Saif, P. Pavan and Mohid. The police said Kaleem owns Melting Point, a pot hookah centre located on Road No. 3, Banjara Hills. The victim, Borabanda resident P. Deepak, 19, had stated in his complaint to the police that the five had kidnapped and assaulted him for two days.
“On Wednesday, when we enquired about them at the owner’s house in Malakpet and the hookah parlour in Banjara Hills, they were absconding,” the SI said. “We are conducting investigations.” Following the incident, the city police gave orders for strengthening of monitoring at all hookah parlours. Deputy commissioner of police Kumar Vishwajeet said, “Licences of any hookah parlour or pub found violating rules will be cancelled immediately.” He said the management at these outlets would be asked to refuse entry to minors. Dr Vijay Mohan, consultant physician at Care Hos-pital, asked the teenagers to keep off hookah as it is a multipurpose substance that causes damage to growing brain cells.