New Delhi: Delhi Police‘s Crime Branch has busted an international cigarette smuggling racket and seized over 2.42 lakh sticks of foreign-made cigarettes from five men intercepted outside the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).The accused, who arrived separately from Dubai and Bangkok, were each found carrying oversized luggage filled with foreign cigarette brands such as ESSE Change KT&G, ESSE Special Gold, and Mond Variance Blueberry Menthol. None of the cigarette packs bore the mandatory Indian health warnings, making them illegal for sale in the country.According to police, the operation was carried out on the intervening night of June 2 and 3, following a tip-off about a suspected consignment of foreign cigarettes being smuggled in via international flights. “A team was deployed outside Terminal 3 to monitor incoming passengers. All five suspects were apprehended with two large bags each, raising suspicions due to their coordinated arrival times and similar travel patterns,” said DCP (crime) Aditya Gautam.Although the suspects claimed not to know one another, police said their identical modus operandi pointed to an organised smuggling network. Some of the accused attempted to flee but were quickly apprehended by the police team.The arrested men have been identified as Vivek Kumar Kanojia, Zakir Alam, Mohammad Shoaib, Gulsanawar, and Nazish—residents of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. A total of 2.42 lakh cigarette sticks were recovered, all in violation of Indian packaging and health warning norms. The seized products were allegedly meant for illegal sale in grey markets across the city.“During interrogation, the suspects revealed they were each promised between Rs 70,000 and Rs 80,000 per trip. Their flight tickets and accommodation were arranged by handlers based in Dubai and Bangkok. They were instructed to travel with luggage stuffed with cigarettes, which was to be handed over to local contacts in Delhi. Most of the accused were either unemployed or engaged in low-income jobs and were lured into the operation with promises of easy money,” DCP Gautam said.A case has been registered under Sections 7 and 20 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003. Further investigation is underway to identify the overseas handlers and trace the broader smuggling network.New Delhi: Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has busted an international cigarette smuggling racket and seized over 2.42 lakh sticks of foreign-made cigarettes from five men intercepted outside the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).The accused, who arrived separately from Dubai and Bangkok, were each found carrying oversized luggage filled with foreign cigarette brands such as ESSE Change KT&G, ESSE Special Gold, and Mond Variance Blueberry Menthol. None of the cigarette packs bore the mandatory Indian health warnings, making them illegal for sale in the country.According to police, the operation was carried out on the intervening night of June 2 and 3, following a tip-off about a suspected consignment of foreign cigarettes being smuggled in via international flights. “A team was deployed outside Terminal 3 to monitor incoming passengers. All five suspects were apprehended with two large bags each, raising suspicions due to their coordinated arrival times and similar travel patterns,” said DCP (crime) Aditya Gautam.Although the suspects claimed not to know one another, police said their identical modus operandi pointed to an organised smuggling network. Some of the accused attempted to flee but were quickly apprehended by the police team.The arrested men have been identified as Vivek Kumar Kanojia, Zakir Alam, Mohammad Shoaib, Gulsanawar, and Nazish—residents of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. A total of 2.42 lakh cigarette sticks were recovered, all in violation of Indian packaging and health warning norms. The seized products were allegedly meant for illegal sale in grey markets across the city.“During interrogation, the suspects revealed they were each promised between Rs 70,000 and Rs 80,000 per trip. Their flight tickets and accommodation were arranged by handlers based in Dubai and Bangkok. They were instructed to travel with luggage stuffed with cigarettes, which was to be handed over to local contacts in Delhi. Most of the accused were either unemployed or engaged in low-income jobs and were lured into the operation with promises of easy money,” DCP Gautam said.A case has been registered under Sections 7 and 20 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003. Further investigation is underway to identify the overseas handlers and trace the broader smuggling network.
