15 July,2016 09:30 AM IST | | Chaitraly Deshmukh
Police raided the pub owned by Siddharth Chopra, brother of actor Priyanka Chopra, and seized hookah worth Rs 26,000
Pune: It seems Wednesdays bring upon bad luck for actor Priyanka Chopra's brother Siddharth, who owns the city-based plush pub The Mugshot Lounge.
Barely three months ago, the Lounge got embroiled in a legal tussle on May 26 (Wednesday) and the anti-extortion cell of Crime Branch raided it again on Wednesday night after receiving a tip-off.
Priyanka Chopra and her brother Siddharth
The police seized 16 hookahs worth Rs 26,000 along with 10 varieties of tobacco in the raid conducted at 10 pm and has registered an offence against Siddharth and the management for illegally selling banned hookah and tobacco-like substances in the cafe.
Cop speak
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime branch) P R Patil said, "Our team had received a tip-off about illegal hookah parlour being run in The Mugshot Lounge. When we raided, 30 customers present in the pub were consuming the banned substances."
A case has been filed against Siddharth and the pub manager Prakash Chaudhari with the Koregaon Park police station and the duo has been booked under the relevant sections of IPC and the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act.
"We have filed the case against Siddharth because as per our records, he is the owner. Our team has also interrogated the pub manager and other staff. Since this is a cognisable offence, we will
not arrest them but they will have to appear before the court, which will direct the further action," added Patil.
In the past
This is not the first time Chopra's pub is under police scanner. On May 26 (Wednesday), a group of 10 people were arrested for allegedly betting on IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the pub. They were found to be in constant touch with two bookies, one in the city and another in Gujarat.
