Delhi Police arrests four, busts racket running illegal trade of international cigarette brands

PTI, Dec 15, 2024, 3:12 PM IST

The Delhi Police claimed to have busted a syndicate engaged in the illegal trade of international cigarette brands, an official said on Sunday.

The police also arrested four people and seized 6.50 lakh cigarette sticks worth Rs 66 lakh from them.

The arrested accused were identified as Anas (32), Saqib (32), Sameer Ur Rehman (23) and Sagar Haswani (45), they added.

“The operation uncovered their elaborate network, which sourced cigarettes from Guwahati (Assam) and distributed them in Delhi, targeting youngsters and teenagers,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Sanjay Kumar Sain said.

Acting on a tip-off, police teams conducted two raids near the Lahori Gate area on Thursday.

“The first raid uncovered 4.70 lakh cigarette sticks of an international brand and 80,000 of another in a godown in the Katra Hiddu area. The premises, operated by Anas and Saqib, served as a central storage point,” Sain said.

The second raid targeted a building in Samose Wali Gali, where a lakh cigarette sticks were seized from a shop owned by Sameer Ur Rehman.

The stock lacked the statutory warning mandated by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Sain said and added a case was registered under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act.

Saqib, Anas and Sameer Ur Rehman revealed during interrogation that their associate Sagar Haswani sourced the cigarettes from Guwahati’s Paltan Bazar. The syndicate imported these cigarettes at low prices, stored them in bulk, and distributed them in smaller quantities to retailers.

“Popular among young customers, these cigarettes fetched a significant profit margin,” Sain said.

Following their revelations, the police arrested Sagar Haswani from Rohini on Friday. He admitted to organising the logistics, coordinating transportation, and splitting the stock for local distribution.

Anas and Saqib, both school dropouts, ran the operation in partnership, managing storage and supply.

Sameer Ur Rehman, who owned a cloth shop, used his premises for storage and distribution.

Sagar Haswani, the mastermind, used to run a mobile shop in Agra before switching to the illegal cigarette trade after facing financial losses.