Upazila administration raided an illegal factory in Daulatpur, Kushtia, seizing around 25 lakh sticks of counterfeit cigarettes with an estimated market value of Tk 2 crore. The factory, previously sealed by authorities, had been reopened and was illegally producing counterfeit cigarettes.

 Pradip Kumar Das, Assistant Commissioner (Land) of Daulatpur Upazila, confirmed the raid.

 The upazila administration and police jointly conducted the raid on Wednesday at a godown in Garbaria village, under Daulatpur's Sadar Union, acting on a tip-off. The operation recovered 25 lakh 50 thousand sticks of counterfeit cigarettes from well-known brands, along with a large quantity of raw materials, valued at an estimated Tk 2 crore 4 lakh 14 thousand.

 Das said the tip-off led to the recovery of a large quantity of counterfeit cigarettes and low-quality tobacco, but those involved fled before police arrived, and no arrests were made. Customs authorities had sealed the factory earlier, but production continued illegally in defiance of a court order. A regular case is being filed, and the court will take further action.

 He added that he had ordered that a regular case be lodged against Shakil Ahmed and Lokman Hossain Leon at the concerned police station for their alleged involvement, and that such raids will continue in the public interest.

 Daulatpur Police Station OC Khaledur Rahman said the raid recovered counterfeit cigarettes of various brands along with equipment used for manufacturing them, and that the process of filing a regular case is underway.

 RAB-12 and the Customs Department had jointly sealed the factory on May 9, but it resumed operations afterward. Law enforcement, upon learning this, acted swiftly, raided the factory again, and resealed it to halt its illegal activities.