Bilaspur Raids Expose Fake Gold Flake Cigarette Supply Chain

In a major anti‑counterfeit drive, ITC’s Delhi‑based team and Bilaspur police seize ₹5 lakh worth of fake Gold Flake cigarettes from a wholesale unit in the city’s market belt.

Fake Gold Flake Cigarettes Seized

Bilaspur has emerged as a fresh flashpoint in the country’s crackdown on fake Gold Flake cigarettes, after a Delhi‑based team from ITC Limited, along with local police, swooped down on a wholesale supplier in the city’s busy market area. In the raid conducted late Wednesday, enforcement officials recovered around four cartons of counterfeit Gold Flake cigarettes, valued at approximately ₹5 lakh.

The haul was traced to a wholesale unit in the Vyapar Vihar–Malda stretch, part of the Civil Lines area, where the trader was supplying to multiple small and mid‑sized outlets across the city.

ITC Team Tracks Down Counterfeit Network

According to officials, the ITC compliance team received credible information indicating that volumes of fake Gold Flake cigarettes were being circulated in Bilaspur, mimicking the packaging and branding of the original ITC product. Acting on the tip‑off, a Delhi‑based ITC team reached Bilaspur and began discreet sampling from local pan‑parlour and roadside kiosks.

Samples collected from several outlets were tested and found to be counterfeit, prompting the ITC officers to track down the source of supply. The team then approached the alleged wholesale supplier posing as regular bulk buyers, which eventually led them to the premises in question.

Fake vs Original: How It’s Detected

Sources familiar with the raid say trained ITC staff compared the suspect packs with authorised Gold Flake cartons, examining key markers such as print quality, holograms, security codes on the strip, filter‑stick design and the texture of the rolled paper.

Officials also noted subtle anomalies in the taste and smoke characteristics of the fake sticks, which typically lack the consistent blend profile of genuine ITC‑manufactured cigarettes. These differences, along with irregularities in the packaging, ultimately confirmed the consignment as counterfeit.

Mayor’s Market Area Raided

The operation zeroed in on the firm believed to be run by Roshan Chandani, located near Maharanapratap Chowk in the Nigam Colony–Vyapar Vihar belt. The ITC team conducted an on‑site verification at the premises, matching the stock against authorised ITC design and coding, and after determining the cigarettes as fake, formally handed over the materials to the Civil Lines police station.

Investigations are still underway, with the civil lines thana currently logging the case under the relevant provisions of the trademark and excise laws, while also collecting details of downstream retailers supplied by the unit.

Scale of Counterfeit Business

Preliminary inquiries indicate that the wholesale operator had been circulating counterfeit Gold Flake‑branded cigarettes across Bilaspur’s retail network on a near‑daily basis, with an estimated daily turnover of more than ₹2 lakh.

Authorities say such counterfeit operations not only infringe on ITC’s trademark but also bypass excise and state‑tax regimes, besides exposing consumers to unregulated tobacco products that may not meet the same quality‑control standards as branded, factory‑made cigarettes.

Trader’s Associates Flock to Police Station

As news of the seizure spread, a number of local traders and associates of the wholesale unit reportedly thronged the Civil Lines police station late into the night, pressing for the release or protection of the accused businessman.

Police officials, however, have stated that procedural formalities will be followed and that the case will be processed only after completing the technical and forensic checks on the seized stock. The local police, together with the ITC team, are also mapping the broader distribution chain used by the unit within the city.

What Comes Next

With the ₹5 lakh‑worth seizure, authorities in Bilaspur are now expected to step up surveillance of tobacco‑retail nodes across the city, especially high‑volume pan‑parlours and wholesale outlets.

Campaigns aimed at educating shopkeepers and consumers on how to spot fake Gold Flake packs—through holograms, print finish, stick feel and taste—are also likely to be intensified, even as the broader national crackdown on counterfeit cigarettes continues to gain momentum.