Hyderabad: Police bust gang involved in smuggling banned `Paris’ cigarettes; 3 held

Hyderabad: Commissioner's Task Force (CTF), West Zone, busted a major smugglers gang and seized banned cigarettes worth Rs.12 lakh in Hyderabad.

CTF sleuths raided Sri Ganpathi Road Lines in Gowliguda and seized banned cigarettes. The operation led to the arrest of Mohandas Thakur, who was caught red-handed transporting the prohibited ‘Paris’ cigarettes.

Mohandas Thakur’s arrest followed an investigation into the activities of Syed Moinuddin, also known as Babbu and Mohd. Abdul Razzak, alias Basheer, has a history of engaging in illicit activities.

The accused individuals established an illegal business of selling banned cigarettes, which were being stored and transported through the Sri Ganpathi Road Lines Transport company.

“Syed Moinuddin and Mohd. Abdul Razzak collaborated with Mohandas Thakur, the owner of the transport business, to procure banned cigarettes at a low price from Delhi and sell them at exorbitant rates in Hyderabad. Substantial amounts were paid to Mohandas Thakur for facilitating the transportation of the contraband,” police said.

Police said using his network of contacts in the transport industry, Mohandas Thakur established connections with dealers in Delhi to purchase the banned cigarettes at the lowest possible price. “The illicit operation thrived by taking advantage of the price differential between Delhi and Hyderabad, allowing them to earn substantial profits illegally. The accused individuals were using the services of OTC Transport in Gowliguda, Hyderabad, since the inception of their illegal business,” he said.

The confiscated cigarette packets, branded as Paris, did not display the mandatory pictorial warnings. This not only allowed the accused to evade customs duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) but also posed a threat to public health, as unsuspecting consumers were deceived into purchasing these counterfeit products.

For further investigation, the case was handed over to the Station House Officer (SHO) of Afzalgunj Police Station.