Illegal unit making counterfeit cigarettes busted; cops seize stock, machine worth ₹5 crore

Raigad police busted a fake Gold Flake cigarette unit in Karjat, arresting 15 men and seizing goods worth ₹5 crore. A manhunt for the main accused is ongoing.

Navi Mumbai: The crime branch officials of the Raigad police on Thursday busted a makeshift unit that manufactured fake Gold Flake cigarettes in a Karjat farmhouse and arrested 15 men working at the site after seizing the stock and machinery worth ₹5 crore from the unit.

Illegal unit making counterfeit cigarettes busted; cops seize stock, machine worth ₹5 crore

The police said they have launched a manhunt to trace the main accused, an Andhra Pradesh native, who had set up the unit. Based on a specific tip-off, the police team reached the farmhouse. An officer told HT that the farmhouse was located in a secluded area beside the river that flows from Sangvi village of Karjat. The unit was secured with walls and a huge entry gate. Initially, officers called out for the owners to open the premises, but did not get any response. “After facing challenges to enter the unit, we scaled the compound wall and gained access from the back side of the farmhouse,” said the inspector Balasaheb Khade of the Local Crime Branch.

A thorough inspection was conducted at the unit wherein a total of 15 workers were found to be working to produce counterfeit Gold Flake cigarettes. In addition to heavy machinery, police also found a huge quantity of raw material required to make the product. This also included a large quantity of tobacco.

“The unit was filled with goods required to produce the cigarette packaging materials, tobacco etc. The large-scale production of cigarettes was done using a semi-automatic machine. The products were then packed into boxes that resembled the popular brand and sold in the markets,” said an officer.

Cigarettes worth ₹2.31 crore ready to be sold were seized. The materials required for the production were worth ₹15.86 lakh and machinery worth ₹2.47 crore was confiscated. In total, goods worth ₹4.94 crore were seized from the unit. The 15 accused who came from different states were also arrested and a case has been registered with Karjat police.

Police observed that the group were operating their business very tactfully. Instead of using the machinery directly with electricity, these were operated with the help of generators. “Since there was no valid licence or documentation to conduct the business, they were aware that using heavy machinery with electricity would draw the attention of officials and therefore they used generators to run the machines,” said the police.

“The main accused behind this is suspected to be from Andhra Pradesh and search for him is underway. We are also on the lookout for the owner of the farmhouse, the way the raw materials were sourced and distributed etc. The accused have been remanded to police custody for two days.” Raigad police superintendent Somnath Gharge said.