Delhi Police busts counterfeit cigarette supply racket; 2.4 lakh sticks seized

New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) Police here have busted a gang allegedly involved in supplying counterfeit cigarettes and seized around 2.4 lakh cigarette sticks, an official said on Monday.

Four men, identified as Parveen Singh (32), Puneet Gupta (35), Pawan Gupta (29) and Dilip Yadav (21) have been arrested, he said.

The police conducted the raid in West Delhi's Nilothi Extension area on October 9. During the operation, two suspects, Pawan Gupta and Pawan Yadav, were caught with a tempo loaded with 14 cartons of counterfeit cigarettes, around 1.6 lakh sticks, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Vikram Singh said.

“The counterfeit nature of the cigarettes was confirmed on the spot by a representative of ITC Limited,” the DCP said in a statement.

Based on questioning, two more accused -- Parveen Singh and Puneet Gupta -- were apprehended from Chander Vihar Chowk area, and another vehicle carrying eight cartons (80,000 cigarettes) of counterfeit cigarettes was seized, the officer said.

In total, 2.4 lakh counterfeit and contraband cigarettes were recovered from the accused.

A case under relevant provisions of the BNS, Copyright Act, and the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) has been registered at the Crime Branch police station, the official added.

According to police, preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused were part of a larger syndicate engaged in trafficking counterfeit cigarettes into Delhi, splitting large consignments into smaller lots and supplying them to street vendors and retailers in busy market areas and near metro stations.

The police said Parveen Singh acted as a key local operative managing distribution, while Puneet Gupta served as a coordinator overseeing sales and deliveries. Pawan Gupta handled the local supply chain in Nilothi and nearby areas, and Dilip Yadav, the youngest member, worked as a runner and storage handler.

Further investigation is underway to trace the source of the counterfeit products and identify other members of the network, police said. PTI SSJ SSJ ARB RT RT