In a major development, Customs Department recently seized a large consignment of cigarettes from Amritsar's Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport. According to reports, two passengers were trying to smuggle cigarettes into the country. The two passengers had arrived from Kuala Lumpur on AirAsia flight AK94.
The passengers were intercepted at the airport after Customs based on profiling and intelligence inputs. During checking, Customs found a total of 67,600 cigarette sticks. As per reports, the cigarettes were hidden inside the luggage and other items to evade customs checks.
The estimated worth of the seized cigarettes is said to be Rs 11.49 lakh. The tobacco materials were brought to India without being paid the required custom duty. Hence, all the cigarettes have been sealed.
The passengers are being questioned by the authorities to ascertain whether an organised smuggling racket is involved and to determine if similar smuggling attempts were made earlier.
