Hyderabad: Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigators on Thursday conducted coordinated search operations across multiple locations in the city, targeting a network of alleged cigarette smugglers and hawala dealers. The crackdown followed a case booked by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), which previously booked several cases against the accused individuals under the Customs Act and other relevant laws.
Searches were carried out on premises located in Begum Bazar and Malakpet, where five individuals connected to alleged smuggling and illegal financial transactions were under the scanner. Among them, one person was identified as a clearing and forwarding (C&F) agent of a major gutka brand. Substantial amounts of unaccounted cash were recovered during the raids, officials said.
The individuals named in the operation include Mohammed Hasnuddin, also known as Hasan, and Mohammed Azmatullah. Hasnuddin, who operates a kirana store, SS Traders in Begum Bazar, was previously identified as the key operator in a smuggling racket involving banned Paris cigarettes from Bangladesh.
In Aug 2017, the Task Force police had apprehended two of Hasnuddin’s associates — Ajaz Ali and Ali Raza — while they were transporting 48,000 packets of banned Paris brand cigarettes via a Tata Ace auto from the Nampally railway station. Seizures in that case included cigarettes worth Rs Rs 19.2 lakh, cash, railway receipts, mobile phones, and the vehicle used for transport.
