They come with labels such as green apple, fresh mint and paan flavour, glossy packaging and none of the mandatory pictorial warnings that could repel those tempted to buy cigarettes. These are illegal cigarettes, flooding tobacco shops across Delhi.
NDTV found that these cigarettes are easily available - one only needs to ask for 'bahaar ki cigarette' (foreign cigarette). Most shops that we visited had these 'international, illicit' cigarettes stacked just below the counter.
"They are particularly popular with those who are new smokers and also women," said the owner of a tobacco shop near a prominent hotel in Central Delhi, which houses top government offices and ministerial bungalows.
The packaging on some indicates that they have been manufactured in Korea, Indonesia and Japan, but many don't even mention the country of origin.
"We get them from wholesalers from Sadar bazaar... As there is no MRP (Maximum Retail Price), we sell them for about Rs 20 rupees margin," said a tobacco seller in Khan Market, a posh shopping area in Central Delhi.
These cigarettes are also cheaper by around Rs 40 rupees a pack compared to the regular brands.
The Tobacco Institute of India, which represents major companies in the country, says that illicit tobacco products result in a revenue loss of Rs 7,000 crore to the exchequer and blames higher taxes for their increased smuggling. India is the fifth largest illicit tobacco market in the world and it is growing, says the institute. Tobacco products are less risky to smuggle than drugs due to lower penalties.
According to government data, 1.15 crore cigarette sticks were seized by the customs department in 2013-14, and the number shot up to a whopping 11.83 crore in 2014-15.
"On an average, we estimate that we catch around 10 per cent of illicit cigarettes, that means that 90 per cent are probably getting through," said a senior customs official.
The World Health Organisation says six million people die every year of tobacco-related diseases.