Munawar Faruqui held in Mumbai hookah bar raid, freed

Police detained standup comedian and Big Boss 17 winner Munawar Faruqui on Tuesday during a raid in a hookah parlor in the Fort area of South Mumbai. 

A senior police official stated that Munawar Faruqui and 13 others were found smoking hookahs at the joint. The police also captured a video of them. The hookah parlor in the city’s Fort area was being run illegally, and nine hookah pots worth Rs 13500 and Rs 4,400 cash were seized by the police on Tuesday.

According to the Mumbai Police, a case was registered against Munawar and 13 more people. Later, Munawar was released by the police officials as it was a bailable offense. Faruqui and others were given notices before they left. 

A 33-year-old reality TV star became popular as a standup comedian and rapper on YouTube. Munawar spent a month in jail in 2021 for hurting the religious sentiment of the people and making remarks about the Hindu God while performing on a standup show.

Munawar stated that he would quit comedy. This came after the cancellation of 12 shows within two months. He also received threats from right-wing groups.

Munawar was seen as a participant in the reality TV show “Lock Upp” in 2022. The concept of the show revolved around prison, where the participants lived in “jail” and performed tasks to earn money. The comedian won the first season of the show.

Munawar Faruqui also participated in Big Boss 17, one of the most popular reality shows on television. He got immense love and support from his fans and eventually won the show, beating other popular celebrity contestants. There were several controversies about him and his girlfriends. Munawar is also the father of his son, Mikael.

Related: Munawar Faruqui held in Mumbai hookah bar raid, freed