New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested a 33-year-old man for allegedly running an illegal Chinese-made e-cigarette trade targeting Gen-Z and first-time smokers, an official on Friday said.

The accused, identified as 33-year-old Gurucharan, runs a pan shop in Ashok Vihar, he said.

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The official said that as many as 78 Chinese-made e-cigarette banned under the Indian law were recovered from his possession during a late-night operation in north Delhi's Shalimar Bagh area.

The seized e-cigarettes, known for their sleek design and popularity among urban youth, have an estimated market value of Rs 1.56 lakh, police said.

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Gurucharan, a resident of Shalimar Bagh, lured young customers, many of them teenagers, by promoting e-cigarettes as a status symbol and profited off their growing addiction, they said.

“In the intervening night of April 17 and 18, the police intercepted a scooter after the rider tried to flee a vehicle check,” said a senior police officer, adding that a search of the vehicle led to the recovery of a plastic bag containing e-cigarettes.

A case under sections 4 and 7 of The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019 has been registered at the Crime Branch Police Station.

“During interrogation, Gurucharan confessed to selling the banned products from his shop and admitted to encouraging young customers to try them. He said each e-cigarette earned him a profit of Rs 800,” the officer said.

Gurucharan, originally from Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh, has studied up to Class 5 and came to Delhi in search of livelihood.

He allegedly entered the illegal trade about a year ago for quick financial gains.

Further investigation is underway to trace the supply chain and dismantle the distribution network of banned e-cigarettes, police said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)