Noida: The Noida Police have busted an alleged counterfeit cigarette racket and arrested two men from Bulandshahr district for repackaging tobacco in fake branded packets.
Acting on a tip-off, police raided a premises near Kakrala Pusta Road under the Phase 2 police station limits in Gautam Buddha Nagar district. The accused were identified as Sandeep and another man named Sandeep, alias Sanjeev, alias Sunny.
Police said the accused allegedly filled empty packets with tobacco and repackaged them in counterfeit wrappers resembling Gold Flake and Capstan before selling them to small retailers.
Police seized 4,940 empty packets, 700 grams of loose tobacco, 128 Gold Flake cigarettes and 57 Capstan cigarettes. Three repackaging machines and a car were also confiscated.
Three criminal cases are already registered against the second accused. A fresh case has been filed under Sections 318(4) and 349 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 104 of the Trade Marks Act. The investigation is underway to trace the network and its distribution channels.
