Navi Mumbai: Raigad Local Crime Branch (LCB) has nabbed 15 men belonging to various states from a farm house in Karjat wherein replica of Gold Flake cigarettes was being manufactured. After raiding the farm house, cigarettes and machineries worth Rs 5 crore was seized by the team of LCB headed by police inspector Balasaheb Khade.
In order to not get caught due to heavy usage of electricity, the machineries in the farm house were being operated with the help of a generator. The main accused who belongs to Andhra Pradesh, is still at large.
The raid was conducted on Thursday night after inspector Khade received a tip about a bogus factory being operated from a farm house wherein the replica of a known brand was being made. Accordingly, the police raided the farmhouse which was located by a river side in Sangvi village at Karjat.
The farmhouse was bordered by a tall gate and a strong wall. The large doors were locked from the inside, and calls to open them went unanswered. Some of the police staff managed to enter through the back side. Upon seeing the police, one of the workers eventually opened the door.
Once inside, Police Inspector Balasaheb Khade, Police Sub-Inspector Sagar Sandap Patil, Sub-Inspector Rajesh Patil, and several constables conducted an inspection. They discovered 15 workers operating large machines in a big room where fake Gold Flake cigarettes were being produced. The inspection revealed a large quantity of raw materials needed for the manufacturing process, including a significant amount of tobacco.
Additionally, they also found materials required for packaging, such as boxes and packets, as well as three large semi-automatic machines used for cigarette production. The cigarettes were being packaged in boxes, which were then placed in larger cartons. During the inspection, officers inquired about the necessary licenses for cigarette production, but the workers had no documentation or information to present.
In the raid, the police seized, ready-made cigarettes worth Rs 2.31 crore, materials required for cigarette production worth Rs 15.86 lakh and machinery necessary for cigarette production worth Rs 2.47 crore. In total, goods worth Rs 4.94 crore were seized from the spot. The 15 accused belonging to different states were also arrested and a case has been registered with KArjat police.
The accused arrested are from Telangane, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. “The main accused behind this is suspected to be from Andhra pRadesh and we are yet to find him. The government received revenue from tobacco industry in form of GST. By having a bogus company of a known brand, the accused have been not only cheating the customers but also the government,” Raigad Superintend of pOlice Somnath Gharge said.
Khade added, “The oldest worker among the 15 of tehm has been working there for over five months so we suspect that this business had been going on from at least six months now. The accused have been remanded to police custody for two days and the further investigations are on by us.”
