Foreign cigarettes worth Rs 2 cr seized in Bengal

Kolkata:At least 20 lakh cigarettes of foreign origin, valued at approximately Rs 2 crore, were seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and two persons were arrested, an official said here on Friday.

According to him, cigarettes, which were seized in and around the eastern metropolis, were smuggled into India from Myanmar.

"A total of 7.39 lakh cigarette sticks of 'Win' brand of China and 'Esse Lights' brand of Korea valued at Rs 73.90 lakh, loaded on a pick-up van, were recovered from a truck terminal at Dankuni in Hooghly," a DRI official told IANS.

On interrogation, the truck driver revealed that he received the consignment from another truck driver and that the cigarettes were loaded at Guwahati for delivery at a warehouse near Topsia area along with some household items.

"On search of the warehouse, another over 12.5 lakh cigarettes of different foreign brands such as Dunhill, Gudang Garam (Indonesian brand), Monde (UAE-based) valued over Rs 1.24 crore were seized," the official said.

Both the drivers were arrested and produced before a court which has remanded them to judicial custody till April 30.