Police bust interstate vape supply network in Hyderabad, man arrested

HYDERABAD A 28-year-old man was arrested for selling banned e-cigarettes and foreign cigarettes through an outlet in Raidurgam, with investigators suspecting that the shop was part of a wider interstate supply network involving online orders and doorstep deliveries. The accused has been identified as Aboobacker Siddique, a native of Kerala, who worked as the manager of Smokin Spot in Raidurgam and was staying at a private hostel in Madhapur. Police seized 46 e-cigarettes, 49 packets of foreign cigarettes, two mobile phones and two digital payment scanners from the outlet.

The owner, Mohammed Shareef, and a suspected supplier, Arshad, both natives of Kerala, are being traced. According to investigators, Shareef appointed Siddique as the manager in March 2026 on a monthly salary of ₹25,000. Nihad Ahmed, a native of Karnataka, had been working at the outlet and allegedly trained Siddique before leaving after about a month.

Arshad was identified as a supplier of e-cigarettes to the shop and is currently absconding.