Indian man on Interpol list arrested in US

Chicago, May 12 (PTI) An Indian man, who is on Interpol list for smuggling of cigarettes in UK, has been arrested at the city's O'Hare International Airport as he was about to board a flight to India.

Anis Gulamras Vohora, 39, was stopped by the Chicago Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers as he was boarding a flight to India from O' Hare over the weekend. He was arrested by CBP officers pending confirmation of extradition to the United Kingdom where he faces a four year sentence for the smuggling of cigarettes, the CBP said in a statement.
Vohora was turned over by CBP to the US Marshal's Service on Monday for his extradition to UK. It is not known if he would be facing additional charges upon return to England.
"This apprehension is the direct result of that vigilance and attention to detail in apprehending Vohora and bringing him to justice," said David Murphy, CBP director of field operations in Chicago.
Vohora was arrested in August 2006 in UK along with three other men. They were accused of seizing almost one million illicit cigarettes and 35 pounds of tobacco.
The operation led investigators to a residential house owned by Vohora's business partner, where they uncovered extensive hand written ledgers detailing the organisatio's purchase and sale of more than 27 million smuggled cigarettes and four tons of hand rolling tobacco between November 2005 and August 2006.
The loss of revenue to the United Kingdom is estimated at around six million dollars.
In November, 2007 Vohora failed to appear at his trial and a bench warrant was issued. In October 2008, a British judge found Vohora guilty in absentia and sentenced him to serve four years in a British prison.