Cop held for selling seized foreign cigarettes worth over Rs 2 crore

Some of the seized cigarettes. Pic /Hanif Patel

An assistant police sub-inspector attached to Waliv police station was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly selling cigarettes of a foreign brand worth Rs 2.16 crore that had been seized. He allegedly sold them in the market. The police had seized a tempo carrying 150 bags of the brand, Gudang Garam, worth Rs 3.24 crore in December 2018. They decided to keep them in the seized tempo.

The incident came to light when the tempo owner filed for return of property and the court asked the police to return it. When the police recounted the bags, they found 100 of the 150 missing.

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During enquiry it was revealed that ASI Sharif Shaikh, who was in charge of the seized material, allegedly sold 100 of the 150 bags in the market. Shaikh was arrested and will be in police custody till September 16.

"It is not possible for one person to sell the bags from the police station's premises. It is suspected that other police personnel were also involved. An internal enquiry is being conducted and SP Gaurav Singh is looking into the matter," said a police official from the Palghar district police.

"We have arrested the ASI under section 409 of IPC (criminal breach of trust by public servant) and two civilians," said Singh.

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