South Side hookah lounge owner convicted of sexually assaulting Duquesne student

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By Brandon Addeo | The Duquesne Duke

An Allegheny County jury Sept. 24 convicted a South Side hookah bar owner of forcing a Duquesne student to perform a sex act in his car.

Ijaz Khokhar, 25, the owner of the Southside Hookah Lounge, was convicted of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and sexual assault in an incident that occurred on March 21.

According to a criminal complaint, the student told police she lost her cell phone in a South Side bar and was walking back to campus around 1:30 a.m. when Khokhar and another man invited her into the hookah bar.

Khokhar later offered the student a ride home, which she accepted. When the two entered the car, Khokhar locked the doors and told the student she had to “do something” for him, according to the complaint.

Khokhar demanded the student perform oral sex on him, and became aggressive when she refused. Fearing he would take her somewhere other than Duquesne, the student eventually complied, according to the complaint.

Khokhar then dropped the student off at the intersection of Duquesne Boulevard and Stephenson Street.

The student noticed Khokhar’s vehicle two weeks later on a jog and contacted police with photos of the vehicle and its registration.

The Duke does not name victims of sexual assault.

 

Allegheny County Judge Philip A. Ignelzi set Khokhar’s sentencing for Dec. 21.