Hyderabad: Two held for selling e-cigarettes to minors after viral video tip-off

An investigation by the Telangana EAGLE Force has resulted in the arrest of two 21-year-old men accused of supplying e-cigarettes to minors in Hyderabad. The probe was triggered by a complaint on social media platform X, which included a video of a group of boys vaping near the Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) in Raidurgam on July 2.

Following the tip-off, the EAGLE Force identified four boys aged between 15 and 17 and recovered two e-cigarettes from them. During counselling, the minors reportedly revealed that two of their acquaintances had provided the devices, prompting authorities to trace the source.

The trail led to Arsalan Sharief of Musheerabad, who was apprehended on September 1 with eleven e-cigarettes in his possession. Police found that Sharief was procuring the devices through cash-on-delivery orders placed on websites such as Vape India, Pod India, and Podkits. He allegedly ordered at least five e-cigarettes at a time, paying between ₹1,200 and ₹1,500 per device.

Sharief is said to have supplied the e-cigarettes to the minors through his associate, Mudasir Mujahid of Tolichowki. The duo allegedly charged around ₹2,000 for each device sold to the underage buyers.

Both men, along with the seized e-cigarettes and two mobile phones, have been handed over to the Musheerabad police. A case has been registered under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019, and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, against the accused and the three websites identified during the investigation.