Hyderabad – April 11 Commissioner Task Force – Khairatabad Zone busted an illegal e-cigarette racket and arrested three people and seized 999 e-cigarettes worth Rs 34 lakh 3 thousand 300 from their possession. On a tip-off, the police raided A. Battery Line Bazaar Ghat area. In this operation, the police arrested 36-year-old Muhammad Ahmed, a resident of S. Armgar, 30-year-old Muhammad Asjad Raza alias Urban, a resident of Annapurna Mehli and 33-year-old Dint Mantri, a resident of Attapur. According to the police, the police first detained Muhammad Ahmed, who was transporting banned Electra E-cigarettes. The task force police detained Raza after questioning and Dint

The minister’s house was raided and a large stock of e-cigarettes was seized. According to the police, the e-cigarettes were being procured from a Delhi resident named Ankit, who was being transported to Hyderabad through a parcel service. The task force also unearthed a racket of selling e-cigarettes. The arrested persons had formed groups on WhatsApp and Telegram through which information about the availability of stock was provided and the money was paid through online phone pay while the e-cigarettes were delivered to the customers through ride-hailing and porter services. The task force police handed over the arrested persons along with the seized goods to the Namili police for further action.