New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI): In a major crackdown on the illicit cigarette trade, the Delhi Police's Operations Cell in South West District has busted a godown storing banned tobacco products and arrested two men involved in its distribution, an official statement said.

A total of 94,000 packets of foreign cigarettes lacking the mandatory health warnings and MRP as required under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) were seized during the raid.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Parikshit (22), the owner of the godown and a resident of Vasant Kunj, and PP Chengappa (40), a resident of Kodagu district in Karnataka, the release added.

Acting on specific intelligence, the police team raided a basement godown located in a house in Nangal Dewat, Vasant Kunj on June 27. The operation was part of a larger campaign being carried out in the South-West District to curb the supply of illicit liquor and tobacco products in Delhi.

According to police, the recovered cigarettes were intended for distribution across Delhi-NCR and parts of South India. During interrogation, the accused confessed to importing these products from foreign countries, including Greece and Dubai.

The police recovered a total of 94,000 packets of foreign-made cigarettes from the basement godown. These included 13,000 packets of L&B Original Silver packed in 13 cartons, 5,000 packets of King Size Mayfair in 5 cartons, 50,000 packets of Richmond King Size Real Blue stored in 50 cartons, and 26,000 packets of Richmond King Size packed in 26 cartons. None of the packets carried the mandatory health warnings or Maximum Retail Price (MRP) markings as prescribed under the COTPA Act.

Following the seizure, a case has been registered at Vasant Kunj South Police Station under FIR No. 276/25, invoking Sections 7, 14, and 20(2) of the COTPA Act. Both accused have been taken into custody.

The police reiterated their commitment to maintaining a tobacco- and drug-free environment in the national capital and said further investigations are underway to track the larger network behind the illicit trade. (ANI)