Begusarai: Police in Bihar’s Begusarai district have busted an illegal fake cigarette manufacturing racket operating from a rented house in Mohammadpur under the Nagar police station area. During the raid, police uncovered a mini factory where counterfeit cigarettes of reputed brands were allegedly being manufactured and packed inside a residential premises.
One accused, identified as 42-year-old Shiv Shakti Kumar, was arrested from the spot. Police said he had been running the illegal business for a considerable period.
The operation was carried out after Nagar police station PTC Santosh Kumar Pandit received information about suspicious activities being conducted by a tenant living in a house in Mohammadpur. Following verification of the inputs, the station house officer formed a special team and conducted a raid at the location.
According to police, the accused attempted to flee after noticing the police team, but was chased and apprehended by the personnel.
Begusarai SP Manish said Shiv Shakti Kumar is a resident of Bhagwanpur village under Lakho police station limits and was currently living in Mohammadpur on rent.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly revealed that he used to purchase loose tobacco and empty cigarette packets of well-known brands from the market. He then filled the cigarettes manually at home, sealed the packets, and sold them at higher prices to small shopkeepers and in rural areas.
Counterfeit Goods Worth Over Rs 4 Lakh Recovered
During the raid, police seized a large quantity of counterfeit cigarette packets and packaging material from the premises. The recovered items included 2,400 packets of “Star Liberty” brand cigarettes, more than 4,000 packets of “Gold Flake” cigarettes, and 3,600 empty packets of “Wills Flake” cigarettes, along with 105 sheets of printed packaging paper.
Police also recovered 580 packets of fake Tulsi Zarda, an HP industrial printing cartridge marked “Made in China,” and an adapter allegedly used for printing fake manufacturing dates and batch numbers on the packets.
Officials suspect the accused had been causing substantial revenue losses to the government by running the illegal business without GST registration or valid licences.
Police said the accused failed to produce any valid licence or purchase and sale documents related to the seized products during questioning.
Health and Revenue Concerns
Investigators said the counterfeit cigarette business not only posed a serious threat to public health but also caused financial losses to the government.
According to police officials, the tobacco used in such counterfeit cigarettes does not meet safety standards, increasing the risk of serious diseases, including cancer.
An FIR has been registered against Shiv Shakti Kumar, and he has been sent to judicial custody.
Police estimate the market value of the seized counterfeit products to be more than Rs 4 lakh. Authorities are now investigating the source of the Chinese printing equipment and raw materials used in the operation.
The investigation is also focused on identifying whether the racket has links to an interstate counterfeit syndicate and which shopkeepers in Begusarai were involved in distributing the fake products.
