2.7 lakh ‘fake’ cigarettes seized in Delhi: How racket was busted
The cigarettes were allegedly counterfeits of multiple leading national and international brands.
Police have seized 2.7 lakh counterfeit cigarette sticks during raids in North Delhi, arresting two men for selling and distributing these. The arrested persons have been identified as Ramjeet alias Vijay (33), a resident of Fatehpuri, and Ankit (34), a resident of Lahori Gate.
The cigarettes were allegedly copies of multiple leading national and international brands, officials told PTI news agency on Saturday.
They said the police action was taken after cops received information regarding the circulation of “fake” cigarettes in the Lahori Gate area. Following the tip-off, a police team raided a shop located in the area.
A case was registered, and further probe is underway to determine the supply chain of these counterfeit products and to identify the manufacturers and distributors involved, police said.
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The arrested duo were allegedly involved in illegally selling, storing and distributing such counterfeit tobacco products. The trade of counterfeit products had caused significant revenue losses for both the cigarette manufacturers and the government, police said.
Police had, earlier this year too, busted a godown storing banned tobacco products and arrested two men involved in its distribution. The racket was involved in illicit cigarette trade, and was selling cigarettes lacking the mandatory health warnings and MRP as required under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA).
In the raids, the Delhi Police's Operations Cell in South West District seized 94,000 packets of foreign cigarettes. The cops arrested the owner of the godown, Parikshit (22), and PP Chengappa (40), a resident of Kodagu district in Karnataka.
The raids were carried out under a larger campaign being carried out in the South-West District to curb the supply of illicit liquor and tobacco products in the Capital.
