94K packets of banned foreign cigarettes seized, two arrested

A raid at a godown in South Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area led to the recovery of 94,000 packets of banned foreign cigarettes and arrest of two men, including a Karnataka native, the police said on Sunday.

According to the police, the accused — Parikshit (22), a local, and PP Chengappa (40) from Karnataka and the godown’s owner — used to import cigarettes from countries like Greece and Dubai and distribute them across Delhi-NCR and southern India.

Cigarette packets of multiple foreign brands having no mandatory health warnings or Maximum Retail Price (MRP) — a violation of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) — were recovered from the godown, located in the basement of a residential building, they said.

“A team received a tip-off on June 27 regarding illegal cigarette stock stored in the area. Acting on the input, a raid was conducted, leading to the recovery of multiple foreign brands of cigarettes,” a police officer said.

The police said Parikshit had learned the trade from his father, who is in the import-export business at the airport, and later began operating independently.

“He got involved in the cigarette racket after meeting a Bengaluru-based man named Sunil, who introduced him to Chengappa,” the officer said.

Chengappa was allegedly working for Sunil’s cargo and courier business and was handling logistics and distribution of the contraband in Delhi and other places, the police said.

The two men were arrested from the Nangal Dewat area of Vasant Kunj, they said.

An FIR under the COTPA has been registered at the Vasant Kunj South police station and both have been arrested. Further investigation is underway to trace the full supply chain.