Closed doors, open secrets

Lokmat News Network

Raj Patil

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

City's cafes are running a silent, shadowy trade hourly rooms, sofa-cum-bed cabins, and closed doors with minors among operating freely across the city's residential heartland.

Ground reports from across the city reveal that obscene-activity cafes are operating silently with little to no police intervention. Tucked under ordinary cafe names, these establishments run cabin-format seating and sofa-cum-bed setups, primarily concentrated in Cannought areas and deep within residential pockets.

PI Geeta Bagawade confirmed that youngsters visiting these cafes are also engaged in narcotics consumption, and that investigators are actively following the links. Cafe owners, however, show little concern. One owner told this Lokmat Times plainly "We are not doing anything wrong. We are simply providing privacy to couples. There is nothing to fear."

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Cafe offer all types of arrangements

Setup/Description

Sofa-Cum-Bed Cabins/Full reclining setups enclosed in private cabins

Long Single-Side Chairs/Extended single seating arranged for couples in narrow spaces

Small Cabin Formats/Compact enclosed cubicles maximum privacy, minimum space

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Rs 200 to sit, Rs 300 to eat

Across the city particularly in Cannaught areas and towards Sutgiri Chowk cafes have quietly set their own rules. No order? Pay Rs 200 per hour just to sit. Order something and the bill jumps to Rs 300. Boards on the walls openly state hourly charges. No pretence, no hiding. What they don't advertise is who fills these seats and why.

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Cafe without coffee

Near the Shahnoor Wadi underpass, PWD Colony, cafes operate with no food, no beverages just hourly rooms. Running purely on a pay-per-hour model, these establishments quietly cater to couples seeking privacy for obscene acts. More alarming many walking through these doors are minors. No menu. No coffee. Just closed doors and a ticking clock.

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They have political links

These cafes have taken over our residential areas. Loud music blares all day while couples walk in and out continuously it is deeply uncomfortable for those of us living here. If we try to speak to the owners, they threaten us openly, saying no one can shut them down because they have political links

- Local Businessman (49), On Condition of Anonymity

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Cafes ran hourly rooms

"In our 2021 Osmanpura raid, we found cafes running sofa-cum-bed setups at Rs 200 per hour. Minor students were sneaking in during coaching breaks unsupervised. After our operation, most such cafes shut down or cleaned up entirely."

- PI Geeta Bagawade, NDPS

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No complaints, but we watch

"Three months ago, we inspected cafes running obscene operations. No complaints since but silence does not mean the problem has disappeared. We will reverify all such cafes and take strict action wherever violations are found."

-DCP Ratnakar Nawale, Crime

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(ADDITION REMAIN)