Cops bust interstate syndicate selling e-cigarettes, switchblades; arrest 14

According to police, the knives were in violation of parameters prescribed by the government and were being sold for ₹400 to ₹1,600

New Delhi

Police said the syndicate used online platforms, selling over 1,000 knives to people across the country over the past eight months. (Representative photos/Getty Images)

Delhi Police recovered 2,710 packets of e-cigarettes and 764 illegal button-activated knives (switchblades), arresting 14 people of a syndicate from multiple states in a series of raids between August 7 and 14, officers aware of the operation said.

According to police, the knives were in violation of parameters prescribed by the government and were being sold for ₹400 to ₹1,600. Also, production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement of e-cigarettes are banned in the country under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, but they were being sold for ₹200 each by the syndicate, police said.

“The seized knives were illegal because they were manufactured and sold in violation of the parameters defined by the government. The blade and tip of each knife is different from what has been prescribed in the parameters set by the GNCT. Also, all are button activated, which also violates the rules,” an officer involved in the probe said.

Police said the syndicate used online platforms, selling over 1,000 knives to people across the country over the past eight months.

Following a tip-off about members of the syndicate in the first week of August, police zeroed in on godowns in Old Delhi where e-cigarettes and switchblades were being stored. They learnt that sellers of these items would also be meeting near a club at Punjabi Bagh, west Delhi, on August 7.

“Accordingly, a trap was laid, and two cars were intercepted. The search of the cars led to the recovery of 380 packets of e-cigarettes. Accordingly, a case under sections 4,5,7, and 8 of the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and advertisement) Act 2019, was registered at the crime branch police station. Eight people who were in the cars were arrested,” deputy commissioner of police (crime) Amit Goel said.

Interrogation of the arrested persons led to the recovery of 2,330 e-cigarettes and 516 illegal knives of five types from a godown in Sadar Bazar and three associates. A separate case under the Arms Act was registered and the investigation into the case led to the arrest of Rajiv Relia, who owned the knives recovered from the godown, police said.

“Relia told us he procured the knives from a supplier in Gujarat named Bharat Bhai, who he met in Mumbai a few months ago. Bharat sold knives to Relia for ₹150- ₹300, and he then sold them to other accused, Rahul Raj and others, at higher prices. A team arrested Bharat Bhai alias Varaiya Dhiraj with 27 such knives from Gujarat ,” DCP Goel said.

“In another raid at Sant Nagar in Burari, buyer Rahul Raj was arrested and 70 knives of seven different types were recovered. A third raid was conducted in Ghaziabad and one Ajay Kumar was arrested with 133 more knives on August 14,” he said.

Police said they also raided a factory in Mumbai to arrest one Faiyaz, who supplied knives to Bharat, but he fled.

The other arrested people were identified as Gagan Makheeja, Vishal (goes by single name), Punit Chandok, Amit Shokeen, Karan Bagga, Ayush Mittal, Manish Barera, Sahil Kaushik, Chetan Khawadiva and Suresh Bishnoi, police said.