Jhansi: Police arrested a 63-year-old man and seized counterfeit cigarettes, tobacco, packaging material and cigarette manufacturing machinery worth Rs 2 crore after raiding a warehouse and factory in Jhansi on Monday.The raids followed a complaint and confidential information provided by the legal team of ITC Ltd, which alleged that counterfeit cigarettes bearing the company’s Gold Flake and Wills Flake brands were being manufactured and stored at the premises.The accused, Shrinivas Mishra, a native of Unnao currently residing in a residential colony in Jhansi, was arrested from the warehouse-cum-factory in Gumnawara area of Pichhor. Police said the premises were allegedly being operated under a registered firm named Defender. Mishra also dealt in cigarettes under his own brands, including Royal Scott and Defender.During interrogation, Mishra claimed that his company had been registered in 2017. Police said he allegedly manufactured cigarettes for only two to three days a week and sold them in Jhansi and neighbouring districts. He reportedly employed daily-wage workers to avoid attracting attention.During the search, police recovered 44 cartons of packaging material bearing the Gold Flake brand and around 2.4 lakh Wills Flake packaging pieces, along with filter rods, outer boxes and cigarette paper rolls from the warehouse.The factory housed three large cigarette-manufacturing machines, 81 sacks of tobacco, a tipping machine, filter buds and additional packaging material. Another 15 sacks of tobacco, each weighing around 25 kg, were recovered from the warehouse.An inspection by the ITC team confirmed that the seized branded cigarette products and packaging material were counterfeit, police said. The warehouse and factory were subsequently sealed in the presence of revenue officials and other authorities.According to police, Mishra had allegedly been manufacturing counterfeit Gold Flake cigarettes for around three months. Seven workers were found at the premises, but their involvement in the alleged racket had not been established during preliminary questioning. Further action against them would depend on the investigation, police said.SSP Vikas Kumar said a detailed scientific and financial investigation was underway to trace the supply network and identify buyers in Jhansi and neighbouring districts.A case has been registered at Nawabad police station under relevant provisions of BNS, Copyright Act and the Trade Marks Act. Mishra was being produced before a court, the SSP said.
