The Delhi Police Crime Branch apprehended two individuals and confiscated a significant quantity of banned imported cigarettes valued at approximately Rs 15 lakh from Chawri Bazar in New Delhi. Among the seized items were premium international cigarette brands like Esse Light White, Esse Light Gold, and Mond, lacking the mandatory health warnings required by Indian law, rendering them unlawful for sale in the country.
Specific and reliable information received by the Crime Branch’s ISC unit on May 6 led to the discovery of illegal storage and wholesale trade of prohibited imported cigarettes in the Naya Bans Road area of Chawri Bazar. Acting swiftly, a special team, led by Inspector Kamal Kumar Yadav and supervised by ACP Ramesh Lamba, conducted a raid.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Mohd Tausif allegedly stocked a large quantity of prohibited imported cigarettes at a shop on Naya Bans Road and a nearby godown in Fatehpuri. Subsequent raids at both locations resulted in the recovery of a total of 1,53,840 prohibited imported cigarettes, with Junaid Ahmed and Mohd Tausif being arrested in connection to the case.
Mohd Tausif confessed to procuring imported cigarettes in bulk from suppliers in countries like Thailand, Cambodia, and China, distributing them illegally to traders and shopkeepers across Delhi and neighboring areas. Junaid Ahmed, an employee of Tausif, was responsible for managing the storage and distribution of the cigarettes from the godown.
