Operation initiated against the National Tobacco Company in Muzaffarabad

The company was found involved in producing counterfeit cigarettes in Bimber for years and selling them in the market.

AJK: Operation initiated against the National Tobacco Company in Muzaffarabad for cigarette smuggling, tax evasion, smuggling, causing billions of rupees in losses to the national exchequer. Cigarettes and raw materials hidden in secret warehouses were seized. The company was found involved in producing counterfeit cigarettes in Bimber for years and selling them in the market. A joint operation by the Revenue Department and Police revealed hidden warehouses, prompting the operation. Every month, the company smuggled truckloads of cigarettes from various areas of Bimber to Punjab to evade taxes. The National Tobacco Company has allegedly engaged mafia services to run a media campaign against its rival cigarette manufacturer and the Revenue Department. A former employee of Walton Tobacco Company, after getting a job in the National Tobacco Company, assisted the cigarette mafia in Muzaffarabad to cause billions of rupees in losses to the national exchequer.

Upon information from reliable sources, a large-scale operation has been launched against the mafia involved in tax evasion and counterfeiting, starting from the ancestral district of the Prime Minister, where 8 cigarette factories are established, of which 2 are closed and 6 are operational. These active cigarette factories have been producing counterfeit cigarettes and selling them in the market. Based on intelligence, the Revenue Department and Police raided the largest cigarette factory in Bimber, exposing the National Tobacco Company’s counterfeiting operations and seizing counterfeit cigarettes and raw materials worth billions of rupees. A junior employee of the department had tipped off the police about the secret warehouses. According to sources, the National Tobacco Company was producing counterfeit cigarettes under the registered brands of its rival cigarette manufacturer Walton and had allegedly partnered with a prominent fake mafia in Azad Kashmir to undermine its rival and cause losses to the national exchequer. Two years ago, an operation was conducted against the counterfeit cigarette mafia in Muzaffarabad, resulting in the cessation of counterfeiting in Muzaffarabad.

This counterfeit mafia then prepared counterfeit brands of the National Tobacco Company and Walton Tobacco Company and earned billions of rupees by selling them in the market. The influential classes of Muzaffarabad obtained complete protection from the law enforcement agencies and national health organizations. Following the identification by the FBI and national security agencies, the cigarette manufacturing company named “Vey Ward” in Muzaffarabad was shut down, and machines used for producing counterfeit cigarettes were rendered useless.

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The counterfeit mafia in Muzaffarabad resumed business by partnering with the National Tobacco Company in Bimber after the shutdown of operations and availed the services of Al-Taf, a former employee of Walton Tobacco Company, who organized media campaigns against Walton and the Revenue Department of Azad Kashmir during his visits to Muzaffarabad. Another cigarette manufacturing company was registered in Muzaffarabad by the industry department, and the mafia in Muzaffarabad has employed its legal and media team to begin operations. Al-Taf, the former employee of Walton and the current coordinator of the National Tobacco Company, has struck a deal with the officials of the police department in Muzaffarabad, some high-ranking officials of certain departments, and the mafia with connections to social media, regarding this matter. Further revelations based on facts will be observed in the future.

Operation initiated against the National Tobacco Company in Muzaffarabad