Smuggled imported cigarettes worth Rs 1 crore on board train seized in Bengaluru.

BENGALURU:  Acting on a tip-off, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) seized imported cigarettes valued at around Rs 1 crore from the parcel van of Karnataka Express at Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station, on Tuesday evening. The consignment was booked on a train from New Delhi. This is the second major seizure of imported cigarettes smuggled into Bengaluru via trains.

Senior Divisional Security Commissioner of RPF, Bengaluru, Debashmita Chattopadhyay Banerjee told The New Indian Express that 7,180 boxes, each containing 50 cigarette packets, were seized from the Vehicle Parcel Unit of Karnataka Express when it reached the platform at 6.30 pm. “They appear to have been imported from the West Asia or Bangladesh. There was no one accompanying the parcel on the train. It has been booked from New Delhi railway station. We are investigating into it,” she said.

The RPF immediately alerted both Customs as well as Sales Tax officials about the seizure. “This is the second such seizure of cigarettes inside trains in the last four months,” Debashmita added. The cigarettes, packed in cartons and covered with white gunny bags, were concealed among other items to escape detection, said Assistant Security Commissioner, Yeshwantpur, Rajagopala Reddy, who was involved in the operations with a 10-member RPF team.

https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2019/nov/14/smuggled-imported-cigarettes-worth-rs-1-crore-on-board-train-seized-in-bengaluru-2061525.html