Hyderabad: The Hyderabad police on Friday, April 10, busted an illegal electronic cigarette racket and arrested three accused with 999 e-cigarettes and vapes worth Rs 34.03 lakhs in Nampally.
The Khairatabad Commissioner’s task force with the Nampally police station set a trap near A Battery Line in Bazarghat and apprehended two individuals, Mohammed Ahmed, 36, and Mohammed Aszad Raza alias Arhan, aged 30.
According to the police, one of the accused, Ahmed, was caught while delivering 180 banned e-cigarettes on a two-wheeler. Arhan, the intended recipient of the contraband, was reportedly acting as per the directions of the third accused, Vinit Mantri (33).
The authorities later arrested Mantri at his residence in Attapur, where a huge quantity of banned material was seized.
Investigation into their phone records revealed that Mantri and Arhan had group chats on Telegram and WhatsApp where orders were received.
Payments were collected via PhonePe, and products were dispatched through Rapido and Porter. The accused were procuring the contraband in bulk quantities from one individual identified as Ankit, a resident of Delhi.
The authorities seized items worth Rs 34,03,300, including 999 e-cigarettes, a Suzuki two-wheeler, four mobile phones, and packing covers from their possession.
The accused, along with the seized items, were handed over to the Nampally Station House Officer for further legal action.
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