Two arrested in Jharkhand's Jamshedpur with fake cigarettes

Jamshedpur, Jul 8 (PTI) Two men were arrested with counterfeit cigarettes in Jharkhand's Jamshedpur, police said on Wednesday. Acting on a tip-off, a police team intercepted two men on a scooter near a private school in Jawaharnagar while they were allegedly on their way to deliver counterfeit cigarettes to the market. A total of 500 packets of fake cigarettes were recovered from their possession, police said. The accused were identified as Ubaid Ansari (19) and Ehtesham Shamim, both residents of Jamshedpur. During interrogation, the duo allegedly disclosed that the cigarettes had been stocked in a godown at Islamnagar in the Kapali area of nearby Seraikela-Kharsawan district, police said. Subsequent raids at the godown led to the seizure of 39 cartons containing 45,600 packets of counterfeit cigarettes, valued at around Rs 39 lakh. The owners of the godown, Wali Azam, Shahanwaz Danish and SK Parvez, are absconding, police said. A case has been registered under provisions of the BNS and the Copyright Act, 1957, and further investigation is underway, they said. PTI BS SOM