Hyderabad police seize Rs 4-lakh worth E cigarettes, one arrested

HYDERABAD: The South Zone team of Hyderabad Commissioner's Task Force and the Panjagutta Police have apprehended one person for illegally procuring and selling banned E cigarettes containing nicotine. The total worth of the seized E cigarettes is Rs 4 lakh.

B Satish (34), the accused, is a native of Maharashtra and moved to Hyderabad 20 years ago in search of work. He bought one mulgi in Begumpet about two years ago and began selling baked items. He devised a plan to sell prohibited E cigarettes at exorbitant prices to desperate consumers in order to make quick money.

As part of his plan, he contacted Mass, a Mumbai native, and struck a deal for the smuggling of E cigarettes from Mumbai through courier. After procuring the illegal E cigarettes from Mass, Satish started selling them to needy customers at his bakery.

The South Zone team of the Commissioner's Task Force and the Panjagutta Police raided his Sona Bakery and Kirana shop in Begumpet and arrested him before confiscating the banned E cigarettes. The arrested accused has been handed over to the Panjagutta Police or further investigation.

E-cigarettes emit a variety of hazardous substances such as acetaldehyde, acrolein and formaldehyde. These aldehydes have the potential to induce lung disease besides causing cardiovascular (heart) damage.