Delhi Police have arrested four individuals following the seizure of over 2.82 lakh prohibited imported cigarettes, valued at more than Rs 1 crore. This significant operation took place in northeast Delhi, marking a major effort to combat the illegal tobacco trade. The police confirmed the arrests on Thursday, highlighting the ongoing challenges in regulating the tobacco market in the region.
Delhi Police arrested four individuals and seized more than 2.82 lakh prohibited imported cigarettes worth Rs 1 crore from raids in northeast Delhi.
Acting on the information, a police team laid a trap in Shiv Vihar. When no one turned up and they attempted to leave, the police intercepted and apprehended them. “Based on the recovery, an FIR was registered at Karawal Nagar police station under relevant provisions of the COTPA. During interrogation, the arrested men disclosed the identity of their supplier.
Police said the operation began on August 4 after a team received a tip-off about the delivery of prohibited imported cigarettes in the Karawal Nagar area. At around 4.30 pm, three men arrived on a motorcycle carrying gunny bags and waited for a customer. “The accused were identified as Ankit (35), Vishal (28) and Rahul (36), all residents of the Karawal Nagar area. During the search, police recovered 79 cartons containing 12,640 imported cigarettes, manufactured in Indonesia,” a senior police officer said. Acting on the leads, the investigating team traced and arrested the alleged supplier, Neeraj Kapoor (55), from Delhi on Wednesday,” the officer said.
The seizure was made in two phases, with police recovering consignments from Karawal Nagar and later a warehouse in the Budhpur Industrial Area during follow-up raids, he said.
