October 10, 2019
Coimbatore : Five persons have been arrested and Rs.69 lakh worth cigarettes of foreign origin seized from their possession, at the City Airport.
Based on a tip off that the five–Mohammed Akbar Ali, Ansarali, Abdul Khadir, Kalander Hyder Ali, and Shahul Hameed, arriving from Colombo on October eight, DRI officials kept strict vigil.
The passengers were intercepted and detained and officials found 23,310 packets (4,66,200 sticks) of cigarettes of foreign origin valued at Rs. 69,93,000 without the prescribed statutory and pictorial warning printed/ affixed on them, an official release said Thursday.
During investigation the five passengers said to have admitted that they were engaged in the smuggling activity for monetary consideration.
The five passengers were arrested and cigarettes seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962 and further investigation on, it said.