Businessman held in connection with seizure of 21 lakh smuggled cigarettes

According to DRI, the accused, Harpreet Singh Talwar, had attempted to smuggle the cigarettes in an import consignment arriving from Dubai.

New Delhi: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested a businessman in connection with the seizure of 21,60,000 sticks of smuggled Gudang Garam cigarettes valued at Rs 4.75 crores in Mumbai.

As per a statement by the DRI, the accused, Harpreet Singh Talwar, had attempted to smuggle the cigarettes in an import consignment arriving from Dubai.

This is the fifth in a series of major seizures over the last two months by the DRI as such cases have been on the rise despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Almost 2 crore cigarettes and cigars of foreign origin, worth Rs 30 crores have been seized.

Earlier in January, the Mumbai zonal unit of DRI recovered 18,00,000 sticks of Gudang Garam cigarettes worth around Rs 3.24 crores concealed in a container that arrived from Dubai on January 7.

ANI