The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police arrested four members of an inter-state gang involved in smuggling banned branded international cigarettes last week.
6.5 lakh cigarettes worth 6.6 lakh have been seized from the accused – 32-year-old Anas; Shakib, 32; Sameer Ur Rahman, 23; and Sagar Haswani, 45, working in Guwahati and Delhi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Sanjay Kumar Sain said on Sunday.
On December 12, acting on a tip-off, the Inter-State Cell (ISC) of the Crime Branch led by Inspector Satendra Mohan under the supervision of ACP Ramesh Chandra Lamba raided two places in central Delhi’s Lahori Gate area. In the partnership of Saqib and Anas, 470,000 Ace Light and 80,000 Dazaram black cigarettes were seized from Katra Hiddu’s godown, while 180,000 Gudang hot cigarettes were seized from Rahman’s cloth shop on the ground floor of G Bhawan. Samosa Wali police said.
The cigarette boxes lacked statutory health warnings prescribed by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry and were stored in preparation for distribution across the city, DCP Sain said, adding that the three accused were accordingly arrested under Sections 7 and 20 of the Cigarette Act. and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA).
“Saqib and Anas used to supply cigarettes to retailers, and Sameer was responsible for managing distribution in Delhi. They revealed that their partner Sagar Haswani bought cheap cigarettes from Guwahati (Assam) and delivered them to Delhi,” the officer said.
“Haswani revealed that international brands without legal warnings are popular among youth and teenagers, so he used to get such banned cigarettes from Guwahati’s Paltan market” and split large consignments into smaller quantities for sale at local retail shops like small cigarette and paan shops. , where banned cigarettes were sold at a premium, DCP added.
Sagar was arrested on December 13 from Rohini in Delhi.
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