Esse Light, Gudang Garam: Illegal cigarette consignment seized in Delhi, 2 arrested

Two persons riding on separate scooters were intercepted. “One of them was carrying a large carton on the rear seat of his scooter,” the officer said in a statement.

The accused were identified as Uvaish Siddiqui (22) of Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar and Abdul Kalam (19) of Delhi’s Bawana.

“On checking the carton, the team members found 1,000 (20,000 sticks) packets of Esse Lights cigarettes without the pictorial health warnings mandated by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003,” the officer said.

The accused led the team to a nearby godown where an additional 2,215 cigarette packets of various brands were recovered. “The brands seized included Mond, Davidoff Classic, Gudang Garam, Benson & Hedges, and others — all missing the statutory warnings,” the officer said.

Both accused have been arrested and booked under relevant provisions of the COTPA Act. Initial investigations reveal that they had been involved in the supply of such illegal cigarettes for the past two months.

Yadav said the police are continuing its probe to identify the entire supply chain and the source of these illegal consignments. The two scooters were also seized from the accused.

The officer said the operation marks a significant step in preventing the supply of illegal tobacco products in the national capital.