The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police dismantled a racket dealing in illegal cigarettes, lacking the mandatory pictorial health warnings, with the arrest of two men with a consignment worth Rs 12.5 lakh, officials said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Uvaish Siddiqui (22) and Abdul Kalam (19) of Bawana, were nabbed during a raid in the Farash Khana area on Monday in which the police recovered 3,215 packets of cigarettes of various brands, amounting to 64,300 sticks, including premium foreign brands.
The racket came to light when the police received the information about illegal cigarette supplies being pushed into central Delhi. These cigarettes violate the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), which mandates statutory health warnings.
“A trap was laid in Farash Khana, where the suspects, riding two separate scooters, were intercepted. One scooter was found carrying a carton packed with 1,000 packets of cigarettes,” said Sanjeev Yada, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime).
The interrogation of the accused led the team to a godown in the same locality, where another 2,215 packets were seized. In total, the recovery stood at 3,215 packets containing over 64,000 sticks.
Officer Yadav said that Siddiqui, a Class 10 dropout, had been running the illegal trade for the past two months.
Meanwhile, Kalam, who completed Class 12, had also been indulging in such activities about the same period.