In a major crackdown, the Mumbai Crime Branch's Unit 2 seized a stock 1,000 banned e-cigarettes worth Rs. 30 lakh from a local businessman in Agripada. The action was taken under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019,  which bans the production, storage, sale, and transportation of e-cigarettes across India due to health risks associated with nicotine, an official said.

According to the police, the operation was carried out on October 21, following a tip-off that Faisal Jamal Motiwala, owner of Jamal Jewellers in Cutlery Market in Mangaldas Market, was illegally stocking and selling e-cigarettes from his imitation jewelry shop. Acting on this information, a police team set up surveillance at both his shop and residence.