New Delhi, The Delhi Police has busted an alleged network involved in the illegal storage and distribution of banned e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes across the national capital, apprehending 10 people, including seven pan-shop owners, officials said on Tuesday.
The investigation revealed that the distributors sourced the prohibited products from multiple suppliers and supplied them to retailers in different parts of Delhi. Police raided his shop in Omkar Nagar, Tri Nagar, and apprehended him. Police are now attempting to trace other suppliers allegedly involved in the network, including those identified as Sonu, Sandeep, Raj Kumar, Himanshu Sachdeva, Sunil, Gaurav and Prince. The alleged interstate and cross-border supply links are also being investigated.
The police recovered 551 prohibited e-cigarettes and 1.02 lakh conventional cigarettes during the operation, which uncovered a three-tier supply chain allegedly catering to pan shops across Delhi, including those located near schools, colleges and coaching centres, they said. On November 2, police received specific information that a man identified as Sumit Aggarwal alias Micky , who ran a hookah shop in Tri Nagar, was storing banned e-cigarettes in a godown and supplying them through his outlet. On his disclosure, the police searched a godown on the first floor of a house in Lal Mandir Wali Gali, Omkar Nagar, and recovered 484 prohibited e-cigarettes along with 1,02,800 conventional cigarettes of different brands, police said.
The consignments were allegedly delivered through courier services and delivery personnel, while payments were predominantly made in cash to conceal the financial trail, police said.
The investigation also revealed that the products were being sold through shops in areas such as Mukherjee Nagar, Shalimar Bagh, Pitampura, Dwarka, Punjabi Bagh and Adarsh Nagar.
