How Hyderabad gang created `SID’ WhatsApp group to sell e-cigarettes, vapes to 500 gullible students

Hyderabad: Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TGANB) and Hyderabad City Police have busted a gang for selling e-cigarettes to students in Hyderabad. Two people have been arrested and 1,217 e-cigarettes worth Rs 25 lakh were recovered from their possession.

This move by the TGANB comes after it received inputs about the sale of e-cigarettes in and around the educational institutions of Hyderabad during the Drug Awareness campaigns conducted in the educational institutions.

The officials seized an amount of Rs.18,440 in denominations (13x500), (28x200), (62x100), (1x50), (3x20) & (3x10), US Dollars 225$, Canadian Dollars 100$ from the accused Sadiq Lalani.

Several teachers raised their doubts regarding the selling of e-cigarettes as well as Vapes to the youth & children at Abids. Then the TGANB kept surveillance at various educational institutions, including Little Flower School, St. Mary's Junior College, St. George Grammar School, Rosary Convent High School, and Sujatha High School and Junior College.

Later, with its efforts, the TGANB established that one Sadiq Lalani and his brother Anil Lalani, residents of Nampally, Hyderabad, are involved in the illegal sale of intoxicating vapes and banned e-cigarettes in Abids and other parts of Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh.

Insights of TGANB investigation

The TGANB investigation revealed that the duo is selling these vapes and banned e-cigarettes to the youth as well as to the school-going minor children by creating a WhatsApp group with nearly 500 people in the name of “SID’’ and advertising the new production if any arrived in this group.

Seeing these advertisements, the group members will purchase by making online payments. The customers make UPI, Wallet, Bank transfers to the Phone & accounts of the accused and his sister’s, father’s friend, mother, and his childhood friend.

Further, it is also established that Amit, a resident of New Delhi, and Waseem, a resident of Mumbai, are supplying the e-cigarettes to the two accused. The duo are utilising the services of Hawala operators Mangi Ramji Gautam, a resident of Hyderabad and CR Sharma to send money if it is greater than Rs 50,000.

If the value of the consignment is less than Rs 50,000, the accused used the normal banking channels. They also used Rapido, Uber and DTDC to deliver these e-cigarettes.

13 juvenile drug abusers

“As many as 13 juvenile students below the age of 18 years have been identified along with their phone numbers. These 13 juveniles have a very high chance of being sucked into drug abuse at a tender age. Local police would be visiting their houses and counselling their parents. Besides this, we have positively identified more than 400 users, who are a part of this group from the UPI, Wallet, BHIM, Bank transactions, and replies received from Rapido, Uber & DTDC Couriers,” the TGANB officials said.

The TGANB officials further said that there is enough incontrovertible evidence available on record against the accused. From the bank transactions, a conservative estimate can be made that they did this e-cigarette sales to a tune of around Rs 1 crore in Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh. In this regard, a case in Cr. No.98/2025, U/s 7 r/w 4 Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (PEC) Act, 2019, and Section 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act was registered against the accused on April 20.

Apart from that, action would also be taken on DTDC Courier and Uber, and Rapido for their negligence in not screening the parcels and supplying the same to the youth and minor children. During the searches at the house of Sadiq Lalani, the officials identified seven brown colour carton boxes of e-cigarettes of different sizes, shapes, and companies in. all seven carton boxes were seized.

Seizure details

Box B-1:

POD Salt - 8 (79 pieces)

Elfbar Raya D2 - 12 boxes (116 pieces)

Ignite - 3 boxes (30 pieces)

Total: 225 e-cigarettes

Box B-2:

Elfbar Raya D2 - 2 boxes (20 pieces)

Platinum Bar - 1 box (6 pieces)

Waka - 9 boxes (80 pieces)

Total: 106 e-cigarettes

Box B-3:

Waka 6 boxes (56 pieces)

POD Salt - 11 boxes (96 pieces)

Total: 152 e-cigarettes

Box B-4:

Iget Flare - 4 boxes (20 pieces)

Nasty - 6 boxes (53 pieces)

Priv Bar - 12 boxes (61 pieces)

Total: 134 e-cigarettes

Box B-5:

Olive Bar - 38 boxes (187 pieces)

Elf Bar Ice King - 9 boxes (42 pieces)

Ignite - 7 boxes (90 pieces)

Total: 319 e-cigarettes

Box B-6:

Elfbar TE6K - 7 boxes (36 pieces)

Elfbar Raya D2 - 3 boxes (27 pieces)

Elfbar Raya D3 - 9 boxes (92 pieces)

Total: 155 e-cigarettes

Box B-7:

JUUL - 10 boxes (87 pieces)

Packed e-cigarettes - 6 pieces

Olive Bar - 2 boxes (10 pieces)

POD Salt - 5 pieces

Raya D2 - 3 pieces

Raya D3 - 1 piece

Priv Bar - 1 piece

Waka - 4 pieces

Nasty - 9 pieces

Total: 126 e-cigarettes

PEC Act- 2019:

Production, Manufacturing, Importing, exporting, transportation, selling, distribution, stocking and advertising of e-Cigarettes is banned in India as per PEC Act- 2019.

Section 6 COTP ACT-2003:

As per this section, no person shall sell, offer for sale, or permit the sale of cigarettes or any other tobacco product to any person who is under eighteen years of age, and in an area within a radius of one hundred yards of any educational institution.

Juvenile Justice Act 2015:

Section 77 :

Whoever gives, or causes to be given, to any child any intoxicating liquor or any narcotic drug or tobacco products or psychotropic substance, except on the order of a duly qualified medical practitioner, shall be punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to a fine which may extend up to one lakh rupees.

Appeal to the Public:

TGANB has urged students, parents and all citizens of the Society to join them in this vital mission and report any instances of Drug abuse and usage of e-Cigarettes and Vapes to the Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau through our toll-free number 1908 or email ID: tsnabho-hyd@tspolice.gov.in.

Anti-Drug Committees (ADCs) and Prahari Clubs should come forward and cooperate with TGANB & Local Police and report such nefarious illegal activities.

The identity of the individuals would remain strictly confidential, and deserving contributions would be suitably rewarded.