Date: 30-06-2025
ISC/CRIME BRANCH FOILS INTERNATIONAL SMUGGLING BID: 2.42 LAKHS UNAUTHORISED CIGARETTES SEIZED; FIVE ARRESTED
Mahesh Dhoundiyal - Delhi
Key Highlights:
• Five individuals apprehended with 2,42,000 units of prohibited foreign cigarettes.
• Seized brands include ESSE CHANGE KT&G, ESSE SPECIAL GOLD, and Mond VARIANCE Blueberry Menthol, all lacking mandatory Indian health warnings.
• Accused confessed to smuggling cigarettes from Dubai and Bangkok, earning ?7,0000–?8,0000 per trip.
OPERATION OVERVIEW
In a significant breakthrough against transnational tobacco smuggling, the Inter-State Cell (ISC) of the Delhi Police Crime Branch successfully intercepted a massive consignment of 2.42 lakh units of unauthorized foreign cigarettes in the intervening night of 2nd and 3rd June 2025. The action was the result of precise and credible intelligence indicating that a syndicate was actively engaged in smuggling prohibited e-cigarettes and foreign cigarette brands into India through international routes, particularly via Dubai, Bangkok, and other hubs.
Acting swiftly on the input, a dedicated team was deployed to mount surveillance and conduct a covert operation outside Terminal-3 of IGI Airport, New Delhi. The operation culminated in the successful identification and interception of five individuals who had arrived on separate international flights. Each was found carrying oversized luggage suspected to contain smuggled tobacco products. Their coordinated arrival and identical modus operandi suggested a well-organized courier network operating under the radar.
Upon checking, all five were found in possession of substantial quantities of foreign cigarette brands lacking the mandatory Indian health warnings, thereby violating national laws. Consequently, a case under Sections 7 and 20 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, was registered at Police Station Crime Branch, and the consignment was seized.
TEAM AND OPERATION:
Credible intelligence was received and the input was developed by HC Gajendra Singh, leading to the deployment of a dedicated team under the leadership of Inspector Pankaj Malik and the close supervision of ACP/ISC Sh. Ramesh Chander Lamba. The team comprised SIs Amit Kumar and Roopesh Baliyan, ASIs Mukesh Kumar and Suresh Kumar, HCs Gajendra Singh, Narender Kumar, Rajender Singh, and Constables Dinesh Kumar and Sukdeb Das. The team was stationed near IGI Airport, where they spotted five individuals with unusually large luggage behaving suspiciously. On interception and checking, each of the five was found carrying two large bags filled with foreign-brand cigarettes, none of which bore the mandatory health warnings required by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, thus making the products illegal for sale and distribution in India.
The individuals made attempts to slip away but were swiftly overpowered and apprehended by the alert team. The following individuals were arrested: (1) Vivek Kumar Kanojia with 2 bags containing 54,000 units of cigarettes, (2) Zakir Alam with 2 bags containing 64,000 units, (3) Md. Shoaib with 2 bags containing 36,000 units, (4) Gulsanawar with 2 bags containing 44,000 units, and (5) Nazish with 2 bags containing 44,000 units. All bags were found to be filled with imported cigarette brands such as ESSE CHANGE KT&G, ESSE SPECIAL GOLD, and Mond VARIANCE Blueberry Menthol. A total of 10 bags containing 2,42,000 cigarette sticks were seized in accordance with legal procedures and taken into police custody through proper seizure memos.
MODUS OPERANDI
During sustained interrogation, the arrested persons revealed they were acting as international couriers in a well-organized smuggling racket. Their handlers provided them tickets and accommodation abroad, typically to Dubai or Bangkok, from where they would return with bags loaded with illegal tobacco products. They chose late-night or early-morning flights, aiming to slip through customs with minimal scrutiny. Upon landing, the contraband was to be handed over to local handlers waiting in the city. For each successful trip, they earned around ?70,000–?80,000, after expenses.
Interestingly, while their destinations and trips were different, none of them knew each other personally, pointing towards a hub-and-spoke model of smuggling, where different low-level couriers are used to mask the bigger network and avoid traceability.
PROFILE OF THE ACCUSED
All five accused hail from lower-middle-class backgrounds and are residents of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. They were unemployed or doing odd jobs when approached by handlers who promised easy money in exchange for “just carrying bags.” Lured by financial need, they joined the racket. This was the first time any of them were intercepted by police, though they had made multiple trips earlier without being caught. Further investigation is underway.
Reporter: Mahesh Dhoundiyal - Delhi
Website: www.thecurrentscenario.in
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