Crime branch raids famous SoBo restaurant, siezes 157 e-cigarettes

The raid was carried out by Crime Branch Unit II at the 97-year-old restaurant located on Dr Gopalrao Deshmukh Road in the Cumbala Hill area, following specific information that banned e-cigarettes were being sold from the premises

MUMBAI: The Mumbai Crime Branch has raided the iconic Light of Persia restaurant in South Mumbai and seized 157 banned e-cigarettes valued at ₹4.71 lakh, registering a case against the owner under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019.

Light Of Persia at Pedder Road in Mumbai. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

The raid was carried out by Crime Branch Unit II at the 97-year-old restaurant located on Dr Gopalrao Deshmukh Road in the Cumbala Hill area, following specific information that banned e-cigarettes were being sold from the premises.

Police identified the accused as Hamid Raza Safar Ali Karimi, 44, who runs the restaurant. “Acting on a tip-off, our team conducted a search of the establishment and recovered banned e-cigarettes of various flavours,” a Crime Branch officer said.

During the raid, the police also noticed a display board advertising different flavours of e-cigarettes. When questioned, Karimi allegedly claimed the board was meant only for customer information. However, a search conducted in the presence of two independent witnesses led to the recovery of 157 e-cigarettes.

The seized items included Elf Bar Raya D1, Moonlight, D3 and combo packs of the same brand. Samples have been sent to a forensic laboratory for analysis, said a police officer.

Subsequently, Karimi was booked under Sections 7 and 8 of the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act, 2019.

Founded in 1928, Light of Persia is one of Mumbai’s oldest eateries, started by Hasan Mohammed Karimi, who migrated to the city from Yazd in Iran in the 1920s. The restaurant is known for its Irani and Persian cuisine and also serves North Indian, Chinese and fast food.