New Delhi: Stand-up comedian and ‘Bigg Boss 17’ winner Munawar Faruqui posted for the first time after his brief detention by Mumbai police for smoking hookah. Munawar and 13 others were detained after they were found smoking hookahs during a raid in south Mumbai. He was released shortly after.
Munawar’s post after being released
Munawar took to Instagram stories and shared a selfie in which he is seen flashing a smile, donning a blue T-shirt and a cap. The picture is presumably taken post his release. Alongside the picture, he wrote, “Tired and travelling (sparkles emoji),” tagging his location as Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
The Social Service branch of the Mumbai police conducted a raid at a hookah parlour in the Bora Bazar area of Fort around 10:30 pm on Tuesday.
“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 PTI.
IPC sections under which Munawar is booked
“Police had received information that some patrons were smoking tobacco-based hookahs at the parlour in the guise of smoking herbal hookahs,” he added.
Faruqui and 13 others were booked under relevant sections of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, along with IPC sections 283 and 336, pertaining to endangering public safety and obstruction in public spaces, respectively.
“Notices were served to Faruqui and others by the Mata Ramabai Ambedkar Marg police and they were allowed to go,” the police official told PTI.
Munawar Faruqui’s Bigg Boss stint
Faruqui’s stint in ‘Bigg Boss 17’ was marked by ups and downs, particularly when confronted with allegations from fellow contestant Ayesha Khan. Despite the hurdles, Faruqui managed to leave a mark and won the show.
Prior to his appearance on ‘Bigg Boss 17’, Faruqui had already established himself as a household name by winning the reality show ‘Lock Upp’.
