Nepalese Duo Nabbed with Banned Vapes!

Delhi Police have dismantled a transnational smuggling operation, arresting two Nepalese nationals, Bishwanath Barai (25) and Ganga Ram Choudhary (30), for trafficking 2,970 banned Chinese e-cigarettes into the capital. The arrests, made near Ajmeri Gate on August 1, followed a tip-off about an international racket supplying illicit vapes, marking a significant blow to the illegal tobacco trade in India.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Nidhin Valsan revealed that the duo was intercepted in a rented e-rickshaw while attempting to deliver the consignment. A search uncovered 15 white plastic sacks containing two cardboard boxes each, holding e-cigarettes in 11 different flavors, valued at approximately Rs 32.67 lakh (at Rs 1,100 per unit). The operation, executed near Deshbandhu Gupta Road and Paharganj flyover, saw the suspects attempt to flee but were swiftly apprehended.

Investigations revealed a sophisticated smuggling network originating in China, with the e-cigarettes routed through Nepal’s Rasuwagadhi and Tatopani checkpoints via tourist buses. Barai, who operated two shops in Nepal’s Bharwa city, disclosed during interrogation that his associates, Pinku and Amit, based in Kathmandu, facilitated imports from China. The contraband was then distributed illegally across Nepal, Bihar, and Delhi’s bustling markets like Karol Bagh, Janpath, and Connaught Place. On August 1, Barai met a buyer named Tinku in Karol Bagh, delivering 30 sample units before arranging the bulk consignment that led to their arrest.

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The seizure underscores India’s stringent ban on e-cigarettes under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019, due to health concerns, particularly among youth. Recent enforcement actions, including a January 2025 raid in Nepal seizing 120,000 e-cigarettes worth over Rs 250 crore, highlight the region’s role as a smuggling hub targeting India’s market. Delhi Police are now intensifying efforts to trace the Chinese supply source and identify other network operatives, with Valsan noting, “This is a critical step in curbing the illegal trade.”

The arrests follow similar operations, such as a June 2025 bust of 94,000 illicit cigarette packets in Delhi and a July 2024 arrest of an Uttarakhand resident smuggling Chinese e-cigarettes worth Rs 8 lakh. The case has been registered under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, with further probes underway to dismantle the cross-border syndicate.

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