Sting nails shopkeeper selling cigarettes to minors in Delhi

The shopkeeper was arrested under Section 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act, which makes the sale of tobacco products to minors punishable by law. It attracts a jail term and Rs1 lakh fine.

A shopkeeper was arrested on Sunday in Patel Nagar for allegedly selling cigarettes to minors after a 16-year-old boy and his father filmed the sale and approached the police.

A shopkeeper was arrested on Sunday in Patel Nagar for allegedly selling cigarettes to minors after a 16-year-old boy (Representative photo)

The shopkeeper was arrested under Section 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act, said police spokesperson Dependra Pathak.

This provision of the Act was amended last year, making the sale of tobacco products to minors punishable by law. It attracts a jail term and Rs1 lakh fine.

“Upset over his son’s smoking habit, the father of the boy approached us. He said the shopkeeper was selling tobacco products to other boys also. Jatinder Bhasin, the owner of Bhasin General Stores, was selling them cigarettes despite the prohibition,” said Pathak.

On the police’s advice, the man gained his son’s confidence and together, they went back to the shop to gather evidence against the seller.

They visited the shop with a mobile camera. “The boy bought a cigarette and lit it. The father filmed the episode and went to the police,” said Pathak.

Along with a written complaint, they submitted a copy of the footage after which a raid was conducted and the shopkeeper was arrested.

In a similar case in the same area, police arrested Manjeet, 40, for allegedly selling drugs to a 14-year-old boy. The police sent a decoy customer and the man was arrested.

Pathak said both cases are among the first to be registered under the amended JJ Act.