Sleuths of the Commissioner’s Task Force conducted a raid on a godown and seized duplicate cigarettes of different brands, valued about ₹14.98 lakh and arrested one person.
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On a tip-off, the team led by Task Force Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) K.V. Srinivas Rao and Assistant Commissioner of Police V.S.N. Varma and the Bhavanipuram police raided the godown and seized 75,800 packets of spurious cigarettes.
Sura Venkateswara Rao, a native of Guntur, was taken into custody. The accused was allegedly smuggling the spurious cigarette from Patna in Bihar and was selling the same to the retailers in different places in Andhra Pradesh, said DCP-2 Vikranth Patel here on Friday.
“Following the directions of Police Commissioner Ch. Dwaraka Tirumala Rao, the raids were conducted. We seized Gold Vimal big size, Gold Vimal small size, I10 and other brands. The manufacturers did not mention the MRP, place of manufacture and other details and were smuggling the stocks by road,” the ADCP said.
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Mr. Patel said the spurious cigarettes were being manufactured with poor quality tobacco which would cause severe health disorders to the consumers.