Now Reading: Three held for selling vapes, banned cigarettes in Hyderabad
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Three held for selling vapes, banned cigarettes in Hyderabad
Three persons were arrested in Hyderabad for allegedly selling e-cigarettes and banned foreign cigarettes, following a raid by the Commissioner’s Task Force and Banjara Hills police. The accused were identified as Mohammed Muneer, 26, Abdul Rahman Meehraj, 25, both businessmen from Srinagar Colony, and Mohammed Eyas, 19, an employee at smokers.in.
Police seized 53 vapes, 10 bottles of flavours and 76 boxes of foreign cigarettes worth Rs 2 lakh from the premises. The accused, natives of Kerala, reportedly told investigators they started the business after noticing demand for these products in the city. They allegedly procured the cigarettes from Mumbai for Rs 600-800 a box and sold them in Hyderabad for up to Rs 2,500.
The sale, manufacture, import, distribution, transport, storage and advertisement of e-cigarettes are prohibited under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act 2019 bans all e-cigarette products nationwide, with violations punishable by up to three years in jail and a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh. Hyderabad's task force has intensified raids in residential colonies where such products are often sold discreetly. The accused's supply chain from Mumbai suggests a wider network that police may now probe. Next: investigations will likely focus on the source of the foreign cigarettes and e-cigarettes.
Source: thehindu.com
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