Lucknow: In a joint operation, the Crime Branch and police from Chowk arrested two alleged smugglers involved in selling fake and banned cigarettes in Lucknow, officials said on Tuesday.
According to police, the action was carried out by a joint team of the Crime Branch and Chowk Police Station following a tip-off that counterfeit cigarettes were being sold in the market under the brand name of ITC. Acting on the information, the police team posed as customers and contacted the suspects, who agreed to deliver the consignment near Koneshwar Tiraha in the Chowk area.
When the accused arrived to hand over the consignment, police checked the cartons and found that several cigarette boxes carried branding and logos similar to genuine products but were counterfeit. The accused were also found in possession of imported cigarettes marked “ESSE Lights” and “ESSE Gold,” which are banned for sale in India.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Mohammad Arshad (58), a resident of Vrindavan Colony, Telibagh, and Hamza Bashar (29), a resident of Hata Bhikam Khan on Abdul Aziz Road in Lucknow.
During the operation, police recovered a total of 4,480 boxes of cigarettes worth approximately ₹7 lakh. The seizure included 1,320 boxes of ESSE Lights, 1,060 boxes of Marlboro Advance, 1,500 boxes of ESSE Special Gold, and 600 boxes of Gold Flake cigarettes.
A case has been registered at Chowk Police Station under Section 63 of the Copyright Act, Sections 103 and 104 of the Trade Marks Act 1999, Sections 7 and 20 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003, and Section 275 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Police officials said further legal proceedings are underway while the accused have been taken into custody. The operation was conducted by teams from Chowk Police Station and the Crime Branch under the supervision of Inspector Nagesh Upadhyay along with several officers from the surveillance and SWAT units of the Lucknow Police Commissionerate.
