Surat: The Special Operations Group (SOG) of Surat police raided a godown in the Rander area and seized illegal cigarettes and banned e-cigarettes worth Rs 36.58 lakh. One person, identified as Nazir Javed Shaikh (33), was arrested in connection with the racket.The seizure included 296 flavoured e-cigarettes valued at Rs 17.76 lakh, along with 7,960 regular cigarettes of foreign brands such as ESSE, Atlanta, State Express, Win, L&M Blue Label, Davidoff, Marlboro, and Dunhill. These cigarette packs lacked the mandatory health warnings, making their sale illegal under existing tobacco laws.According to SOG police inspector AP Chauhdary, the team acted on a tip-off that banned e-cigarettes and foreign cigarette brands were being sold without proper regulation from a shop named INT Pan Shop in Rander.
Upon verifying the information, police raided a godown located in Merulaxmi Apartments and seized the contraband stock.Shaikh allegedly sourced the stock from Mumbai-based traders, receiving the shipments via travel agencies and courier services. He then distributed them to various shops and customers in high-end areas including Althan, Vesu, VIP Road, Pal, Adajan, Bhatar, Citylight, Parle Point, and Piplod.
