The Narcotics wing of the Central Crime Branch on Wednesday unearthed an e-cigarette racket and arrested seven people who were selling the banned e-cigarettes.
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Based on a tip-off, three teams of officials from the Narcotics wing raided shops in Koramangala, Banasawadi, and Pulakeshinagar and seized 1,670 cigarettes worth ₹41 lakh.
Inquiries revealed that the accused were from Kerala and were sourcing the e-cigarettes from China through their contacts, via Chennai and Kerala, and selling them for amounts in the range of ₹2,000 to ₹2,500 a piece.
The accused have been booked under Sections 7 and 8 of the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act, 2019, and have been taken into custody.