Increase in illegal sale of e-cigarettes in city

Bengaluru: Banned e-cigarettes are readily available in retail stores everywhere in the city, online, and Bangalore Police has launched a crackdown on e-Cigarette vendors.

There has been a huge increase in the number of people who become addicted to e-cigarettes. In this regard, 1 case registered in 2021 has increased to 48 in 2023. After this, the Bengaluru police, who have become aware of this, have kept an eagle eye on the shops selling e-cigarettes illegally on the instructions of the government. Senior police officials said that if e-cigarettes are found selling, they will be immediately raided and confiscated.

The e-cigarette online sales network is huge and the online e-cigarette buying trend is also high on various websites. Illegal sales are also going on in retail, tobacco shops and gift centers. According to police sources, techies, high-ranking people and prestigious college students are mostly addicted to e-cigarettes.

More than 400 types of e-cigarettes are available in the market under different brands. It has been alleged that the sale of e-cigarettes has increased in various places of MG Road, Brigade Road, Church Street, Koramangala, Whitefield, Kottanur, Hennur, Sarjapur Road.

The chemicals in e-cigarettes are proven carcinogens. According to expert doctors, long-term diseases such as lung problems, heart related diseases, nervous weakness, respiratory problems, and weakened immune system are caused due to its consumption. Various chemical uses: E-cigarettes contain nicotine, propylene, and glycerin produced from tobacco.

Aerosol is produced when it is heated. Regular cigarettes contain less harmful elements from burning tobacco. E-cigarettes are also known as vapes, vape pen, hookah pen.

Five people from Kerala were recently caught by the police for selling e-cigarettes at a gift center in Kothanur police station.

The kingpin of the case, Muzamil, was illegally importing e-cigarettes and foreign cigarettes at low prices through his friends abroad. He had stored it in his warehouse in Koramangala.

On his instructions, the other four accused opened two gift centers in Kothanur, where they were selling e-cigarettes easily to customers at around Rs 300-400. Foreign cigarettes worth Rs 23.67 lakh were seized from the warehouse.