“We acted on a tip-off that hookahs were being served at the cafe. When our team entered the premises, several people were found seated at different tables smoking hookahs,” said SHO Anjani Kumar Mishra.Police said some individuals allegedly involved in operating the hookah setup managed to flee after spotting the raiding team.The 42 people found inside the cafe were detained for questioning. During a search of the premises, police recovered 14 hookahs from 11 tables, six damaged hookahs, six filled chillams, 20 empty chillams, 10 pipes and 11 packets of hookah flavour. Three mobile phones and ₹2,420 in cash were also seized from the counter.During questioning, Shahrukh Ansari (27), a cafe worker, told police that the establishment was being operated by Syed Zia Ali alias Dawood, Bilal and Sarik.Police said Ansari failed to produce a valid licence for operating the hookah facility.The alleged operators were not present at the cafe when the raid was conducted.“Proceedings have been initiated under Sections 271 and 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 4/25 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003,” police said.The raid comes days after the Allahabad high court, in its Sept 29 ruling, clarified that restaurants cannot prepare or serve hookahs even within designated smoking zones. The court rejected the argument that eateries could bypass the prohibition by creating separate smoking areas for customers.