NEW DELHI: A 40-year-old interior designer has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the illegal trade of prohibited foreign cigarettes, police said on Thursday. Over 80,000 cigarettes of five international brands, valued at Rs 8.04 lakh, were seized from his possession.
The accused has been identified as Mohammad Danish, a resident of Hauz Qazi. He holds a graduate degree from a Delhi college and runs a fish aquarium shop in Maujpur. In addition to working as an interior designer, Danish reportedly started the illegal cigarette trade around two years ago to earn quick money, police said.
“A tip-off was received about a large stock of prohibited cigarettes in the Lal Kuan area of Hauz Qazi. Acting on the information, a raid was conducted on Tuesday at a flat in the locality, where multiple brands of prohibited cigarettes were recovered,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aditya Gautam.
The flat owner, Mohammad Danish, was apprehended from the premises. Police recovered a total of 80,400 prohibited cigarettes of five international brands—Esse Black, Esse Black Gold, Camel Gold Turkish, Rothmans, and Parliament. The total market value of the seized stock is estimated at Rs 8.04 lakh, the DCP said.
During verification, it was found that the cigarette boxes did not carry the statutory health warnings mandated by the central government. A case was registered under relevant sections of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), and further investigation is underway.
Danish confessed during interrogation that he had been trading in imported cigarettes since two years. The demand for cigarettes in the local market remains high, police said.