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Noida police have busted a gang allegedly manufacturing and supplying counterfeit cigarettes packaged under the names of popular brands. Acting on a tip-off, officers from the Phase-2 police station arrested two men accused of filling empty boxes of well-known cigarette brands with loose tobacco and repackaging them using specialized machines to pass them off as genuine products to small shopkeepers. Police seized thousands of empty boxes, 185 ready-to-sell counterfeit cigarettes, loose tobacco, three wrapping machines, and a car used in the operation, while a search is underway for the alleged mastermind.
According to DCP Central Noida Praveen Ranjan Singh, the Phase-2 police team received information regarding the illegal trade through local intelligence and beat policing. Acting on these inputs, a police team laid a trap near Kakrala on Pushta Road and apprehended the two suspects. The arrested men have been identified as 28-year-old Sandeep Singh and 25-year-old Sandeep, alias Sanjeev, alias Sunny.
Accused Hail From Bulandshahr District
Police investigations revealed that both suspects are native residents of Bulandshahr district and were currently living in different parts of Gautam Buddh Nagar. Sandeep Singh, who has studied up to Class 12, hails from Hazratpur village under the Ahmadgarh police station area in Bulandshahr. At the time of his arrest, he was residing at VIP Homes in Roza Jalalpur under the Bisrakh police station limits.
The second accused, Sandeep alias Sanjeev alias Sunny, has studied up to Class 8 and is a native of Umrari village in the Dibai police station area of Bulandshahr. He was living in Garhi Chaukhandi village under the Phase-3 police station jurisdiction in Noida. A check of police records showed that Sunny has a prior criminal history. Cases related to robbery, recovery of stolen property, attempt to murder linked to a police encounter, and violations under the Arms Act were registered against him in 2024 at the Pahasu police station in Bulandshahr. Police are examining his past criminal record alongside his role in the counterfeit cigarette network.
Fake Goods Packaged as Gold Flake and Capstan
During the search, officers recovered a substantial cache of raw materials and equipment used to produce and pack the counterfeit cigarettes. The seizure included 4,940 empty boxes of reputed brands, comprising 3,500 boxes of Gold Flake and 1,440 boxes of Capstan. Police also confiscated 700 grams of loose tobacco along with 185 prepared counterfeit cigarettes, of which 128 were branded as Gold Flake and 57 as Capstan.
In addition to the tobacco and packaging material, police recovered three specialized wrapping machines used to seal the refilled boxes so they closely resembled authentic retail packs. A car allegedly used to transport and distribute the counterfeit consignments to local retailers was also impounded.
Search Underway for Main Mastermind
During interrogation, the accused reportedly told police that they collected empty boxes of popular brands, filled them with loose tobacco, and resealed them using the wrapping machines before supplying them to small retailers as genuine stock. The packaging was designed to make it difficult for consumers to distinguish between real and counterfeit products.
Additional DCP Swatantra Singh stated that the Phase-2 police have registered a case against both accused under sections pertaining to fraud and the Trademark Act. Questioning of the duo has revealed the identity of a key mastermind behind the operation, and teams are working to trace and arrest him. Investigators are also probing where the suspects sourced the empty boxes, tobacco, and wrapping machines, how many consignments have already been sold in the market, and which local shopkeepers were part of the supply chain.
