TIRUCHY: Customs officials at Tiruchy International Airport seized banned e-cigarettes worth Rs 32.12 lakh, which was smuggled from Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

According to sources, while the officials involved in checking the baggage of the passengers coming from Kuala Lumpur by Batik Airlines, noticed suspicious movements of two passengers.

Stopping the duo, they checked the baggage of the duo and found that they were smuggling e-cigarettes of various brands each ranging between Rs 2000 and 3000, and soon, they seized a total of 1,285 e-cigarettes worth Rs 32.12 lakh.

The officials said that the nicotine-laced e-cigarettes were the most wanted commodities among the youths a few years back. As they were produced by fascinating models, the number of users increased year by year.

Since vaping through e-cigarettes resulted in health complications among the users, the government banned the sale of e-cigarettes and even their advertisements in 2019. Despite there being a ban, the movement of e-cigarettes was widely witnessed and so the government was vigilant and ordered for close monitoring but still, a few people smuggled this contraband. “The seizure on Monday was one of the biggest in recent past,” an official said.