E-cigarette racket busted in Hyderabad; brothers held for peddling vapes to students

Hyderabad e-cigarette racket targeting minors busted by TGANB and police, urging public to report similar activities.

A well-oiled racket peddling banned e-cigarettes and vapes to schoolchildren and college students in Hyderabad has come undone by the Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TGANB) and the Hyderabad City Police.

Two brothers, Sadiq Lalani and Anil Lalani, residents of Nampally here, were nabbed for selling banned tobacco products and targeting minors, said TGANB director Sandeep Shandilya.

The case, registered with Abids Police, came to light after teachers at institutions such as Little Flower School and St Mary’s Junior College raised concerns during drug awareness sessions. “We placed the Abids area under discreet watch, eventually tracing the source of supply to the Lalani brothers, who ran their digital drugstore via a WhatsApp group called ‘SID’ with nearly 500 members,” explained Mr.Shandilya.

Through this group, they advertised newly arrived products, allowing interested buyers, including minors. to place orders via UPI, wallets and bank transfers. “Payments were made to accounts held by the accused, their relatives, and even a childhood friend. The deliveries were handled by courier services like DTDC and ride-hailing platforms such as Uber and Rapido, which may now find themselves in the dock for failing to screen parcels.

The network reportedly sourced its contraband from suppliers in New Delhi and Mumbai and used hawala operators to move large sums of money. Authorities estimate the racket moved stock worth approximately ₹1 crore in Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh alone. Thirteen juveniles were directly identified in the customer base and will be counselled along with their families.

A search of the accused’s residence yielded seven large cartons packed with 1,217 e-cigarettes of varying brands and models. The total seizure is valued at ₹25 lakh. Additionally, officers recovered ₹18,440 in cash, alongside 225 US dollars and 100 Canadian dollars.

The accused now face charges under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (2019), the Juvenile Justice Act (2015), and Section 6 of the COTPA (2003), which bars the sale of tobacco products to minors and near educational institutions. Authorities are also examining the role of courier and transport companies for potential negligence.