Delhi: 3 held for selling banned cigarettes; over 400 cartons seized

New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI) Three men, including two brothers, were arrested for allegedly selling banned imported cigarettes without mandatory pictorial warnings, and nearly 88,400 cigarettes were seized, an official said on Thursday.

The accused have been identified as Vijay Gupta, a shopkeeper from Palam Colony, his brother Vikas Gupta, and their supplier Aurangzeb, they said.

The operation commenced on August 14, following a tip-off about a large consignment of prohibited cigarettes set for delivery in the Kotla Mubarakpur area for retail distribution.

The police conducted a raid near Punjabi Bazar in Kotla Mubarakpur, where they discovered a car parked outside a shop, loaded with cartons of cigarettes.

"The raid led to the recovery of 432 cartons amounting to 86,400 cigarettes from the vehicle. The shop owner, Vijay Gupta, was caught while receiving the consignment," a senior police officer said.

A case was registered under Sections 7 and 20 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), he said.

During questioning, Vijay Gupta allegedly confessed that he and his brother were involved in procuring and selling prohibited cigarette products. This led to the arrest of Vikas Gupta. Further investigation uncovered Aurangzeb, the alleged supplier, from whom an additional 100 packets of banned cigarettes were recovered.

In total, 442 cartons of cigarettes, amounting to 88,400 cigarettes, along with the vehicle used for transportation, have been seized, the police said. PTI SSJ SSJ MPL MPL