Smuggled foreign cigarettes seized in Hyderabad, five held.
Smuggled foreign cigarettes valued at ₹ 1.03 crore were seized by Hyderabad city police on Friday. The contraband was concealed in 503 cartons.
Acting on a tip-off, sleuths of the Commissioner’s Task Force (North Zone) intercepted a goods vehicle near Rishab Agency in Siddiamber Bazar and found huge quantities of foreign cigarettes, which were smuggled into the city.
The team led by inspector K Nageswar Rao apprehended five persons — Vipul Ranka, Jagadish Kumar, Doongarchand Shrishrimal, Pavan Kumar Perthani and M.A Haneef —, who were illegally importing the cigarettes from Delhi via Sarna Transport without valid invoice, delivery challan or even GST invoice. They were selling the contraband to pan shops, kirana shops and petty vendors in around Hyderabad.
Police said Vipul Ranka, hailing from Rajasthan, had migrated to Hyderabad a few years ago. He ran tailoring and Agarbatti material business at Begum Bazaar and was illegally procuring and selling foreign cigarettes.
Related Posts
MEPs vote to end tobacco agreement
The agreement, first made in 2004 when the EU showed that the three major...
CUSTOMS SEIZE 12,000 DUTY-UNPAID CIGARETTES
Macau Customs Service authorities seized roughly 12,000 duty-free cigarettes...
Assam Rifles recovers smuggled foreign-origin cigarettes worth Rs 65 lakh, nabs 1 in Mizoram
In their continued efforts against smuggling activities, the Assam Rifles troops...
Blitz on illegal tobacco trade
Ten shops in the district were caught selling illegal tobacco products in an...