Customs officials on Tuesday seized eight cartons of foreign cigarettes worth nearly Rs 24 lakh at the Kempegowda International Airport.
Based on a tip-off, customs officials intercepted the eight boxes, which arrived from Sharjah. Officials first X-rayed the package and proceeded with an open examination on confirming that the cartons contained cigarettes.
An officer said the consignment contained 1.59 lakh cigarette sticks worth around Rs 23.9 lakh in the market. Each cigarette costs Rs 15 to Rs 20. The seized cigarettes include brands like Dunhill and Benson & Hedges.
Officials are now probing who sent the consignment and who was to receive it. They said cigarettes have been smuggled often and sold in retail shops. It is supplied to the shops by dealers.
The cigarettes are sold for higher prices in the city’s posher areas and are consumed mainly by students and businessmen.
They are illegal in India and do not carry the statutory warning as required by the law.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks