Mumbai: Munawar Faruqui Detained During Raid At Hookah Bar, Released Later

MUMBAI: Stand-up comedian and reality TV sensation Munawar Faruqui was among 14 individuals detained during a raid at a hookah parlour in Mumbai, police informed on Wednesday.

To his relief, Munawar's detention did not last long as the the Big Boss 17 winner was later released from police custody, news agency ANI said quoting a Mumbai police official.

The cops have said that the hookah parlour located in Mumbai's Fort area was operating illegally, adding that Rs. 4,400 in cash and nine hookah pots worth Rs. 13,500 were confiscated during the raid on Tuesday.

According to an official, the raid began at around 10.30 pm on Tuesday and went on till 5 am of the following day.

A case has been lodged under sections of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act and the cops are still searching the location.

"During the raid, the police found stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui and others smoking hookahs at the joint. We also have a video of their act. We detained Faruqui and others, but they were later allowed to go as the sections slapped against them were bailable," a senior police official told news agency PTI.

The top cop further informed that notices were served to Faruqui and the other detainees, after which, they were allowed to leave.

Meanwhile, the 32-year-old reality TV star rose to fame as a stand-up comedian and rapper on YouTube a few years ago.

His name had initially surfaced in the news back in 2021 when he spent a month in jail after complaints were filed against him for hurting religious sentiments after he made remarks on Hindu deities during a stand-up show.

Much to his despair, there was no respite for Munawar as 12 of his shows were cancelled within a span of two months due to threats from right-wing groups.

Outraged by the continuous disruption, the comedian decided to hang up his boots forever in the comedy space, marking an unfortunate end to his short-lived comedy career.

In 2022, Faruqui made a stunning comeback by winning the first season of reality TV show "Lock Upp", where participants lived in a "jail" and performed tasks to earn money as "inmates".

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