Police at the Kempegowda International Airport busted interstate counterfeit cigarette rackets operating on international routes and arrested five accused, including a father-son duo. Fake branded cigarettes worth around ₹50 crore were seized during the operation.
This is the third case registered by the airport police this March.
The accused have been identified as Abdul Bashid, a resident of HRBR Layout, his son Mohammad Ashiq and their associates – Mohammad Anwar Ibrahim, Mohammad Atar Ansari and Ghulam Hussain – all natives of Chennai.
According to the police, the counterfeit cigarettes were allegedly imported from countries including Cambodia, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore at low prices and distributed across Bengaluru, Chennai and Telangana for huge profits.
The operation was launched following a complaint by N. Rajesh, a senior executive at ITC Ltd., regarding the circulation of counterfeit cigarettes under various trade names.
Based on specific intelligence, the police arrested the accused on Saturday morning and seized around 20 boxes of counterfeit cigarettes at the airport.
A case has been registered for copyright infringement. Officials said such counterfeit products not only lead to financial losses for legitimate companies but also pose serious health risks to consumers.
Published – 28 March 2026 22:17 IST
