Cigarette shop owner, worker held for selling tobacco products to minors in Bowenpally

The EAGLE Force, acting on a citizen complaint, caught two minors purchasing cigarettes from a pan shop in Old Bowenpally and subsequently arrested the shop owner and his worker on Sunday.

The complaint, received through the toll-free helpline, alleged that two pan shops near Nimra Café in Gowri Nagar, opposite New Grammar School, were selling cigarettes and tobacco products to children.

After verifying the complaint, the EAGLE Force kept the shops under surveillance and the team caught two boys, aged 14 and 17, purchasing cigarettes. The incident was recorded on video as evidence, the police said.

The accused and seized material were handed over to Bowenpally police, who registered a case under Section 6 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, and Section 77 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.