NOIDA, July 30: The Noida Police have arrested a man for allegedly smuggling e-cigarettes worth INR 800,000 (Rs 1.2 million). The suspect, identified as Riyaz Ahmad, 35, from Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand, was apprehended near Sector 37 early Monday morning.

According to police, Ahmad confessed that he had purchased the e-cigarettes from an international supplier at the Nepal-India border. The products, manufactured in China and designed in the USA, were smuggled into Nepal before being brought into India. Ahmad was transporting the e-cigarettes in a Maruti Swift car from Uttarakhand to Delhi, where they were intended to be sold in bars and restaurants.

The arrest was made following a tip-off, which led to an intensified police check in the area. Ahmad was caught with the consignment near Sector 37 police outpost, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Sector 39 police station. The e-cigarettes and the car used for transportation were seized.

Ahmad has been charged under multiple acts, including the Prohibition of e-Cigarettes Act (PECA), Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

(via agencies)