A court in Rangpur, Bangladesh, on Wednesday (August 27), sentenced a couple to 14 years in prison for possessing counterfeit bidi band-rolls, a key tax stamp for the country’s cheap cigarette market. The 28-year-old man and his 23-year-old wife were arrested in January 2021 with a large haul of fake rolls. Judge Md Moshiur Rahman Khan also fined each Tk 10,000 ($7,200), with two months’ additional jail if unpaid.
Authorities said the case highlights ongoing enforcement against counterfeit tobacco products, which undermine government revenue and fuel the illicit trade.
