Kolkata: At least 20 lakh cigarettes of foreign origin, valued at approximately Rs 2 crore, were seized by the officials of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), alongside nabbing two persons in connection with the incident.
"A total of 7.39 lakh cigarette sticks of 'Win' (China) and 'Esse Lights' (Korea) brands, were recovered from a truck terminal at Dankuni in Hooghly. They were reportedly smuggled into India from Myanmar," a DRI official told the media.
He said that, upon interrogation, the truck driver revealed that he had received the consignment from another truck driver and that the cigarettes were loaded at Guwahati, for delivery at a warehouse near Topsia area, along with some household items.
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"Further inspection at the warehouse, revealed over 12.5 lakh cigarettes of different foreign brands such as Dunhill, Gudang Garam (Indonesian brand), Monde (UAE-based) valued over Rs 1.24 crore, and were immediately seized," the official maintained.
Both the drivers were arrested and produced before a court, which has remanded them to judicial custody till April 30.
