Mumbai's famous Muchhad Paanwala owner arrested after e-cigarettes seized from shop

Mumbai Police on Wednesday arrested Guinness World record holder Muchhad Paanwala owner for allegedly selling e-cigarettes, an official said. 

The Mumbai crime branch's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) conducted a raid on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday based on specific information on paan shops selling e-cigarettes near schools, colleges and hospitals in the city, the official said.

The Centre 2019 issued an ordinance to ban e-cigarettes, making the production, import, export, transport, sale or advertisements of such “alternative” smoking devices a cognizable offence attracting jail terms and fines.

A total of 947 e-cigarettes worth more than Rs 13.65 lakh were seized, he said. The ANC has registered four cases of selling e-cigarettes, including two in south



Mumbai and one each in central Mumbai and western suburbs, he said.

Among the cases in south Mumbai, one was against the owner of the Muchhad Paanwala shop in Khetwadi area and he was handed over to V P Road police for further action, the official said.

The city police have also registered a case of a hookah parlour, and another case of drugs seizure in which a 40-year-old Nigerian national has been arrested with cocaine and mephedrone worth more than Rs 15 lakh, he said.

A total of 16 people are accused in the six cases. Ten of them have been apprehended so far and six are wanted, the official said. The Narcotics Control Bureau had in 2021 arrested a co-owner of the Mucchad Paanwala shop, which has been famous as it is frequented by some celebrities, in connection with a drugs case.