Visakhapatnam city police on Sunday arrested two persons who were selling banned e-cigarettes and seized 743 e-cigarettes from them. The arrested were identified as Sunny Karnani and Habeeb Khan, who were selling e-cigarettes imported from a Mumbai-based seller.
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Addressing a press conference at the police conference hall here on Sunday, Joint Commissioner of Police K. Fakeerappa said that the City Task Force (CTF) personnel had found that certain local medical college students were using banned e-cigarettes. Subsequently, they conducted raids in two shops and caught the two accused. As part of further investigation, the CTF teams went to Mumbai, where a suspect who is involved in the procurement of the e-cigarettes is said to be on a ventilator.
Police investigation revealed that these e-cigarettes run with a chargeable battery and contain a solution of nicotine, propylene glycol, carcinogens, acrolein, diacetyl and other addictive and harmful substances, and each e-cigarette was being sold in Visakhapatnam for ₹3,000.
The JCP further elaborated that vaping can cause irreversible lung damage, cardiovascular diseases and other serious health problems, appealing to the youth to stay away from these e-cigarettes.
Cases were booked under sections 284 IPC, Section 5 r/w 8 of Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act 2019.