Two men arrested while trying to smuggle cigarettes through the airport duty-free zone have been freed by the court.

Police arrested two men under a court order on Tuesday. They were released with conditions when summoned to the court on Wednesday.

The suspects are Ahmed Afsal, 45 and Yoosuf Nazir, 38. The case was reported to police at 6:20 am on Tuesday.

Police and Customs launched investigations after a police officer was caught while trying to smuggle cigarettes through the airport duty-free zone.

A reliable source told Adhadhu that the police officer tried to smuggle the cigarettes in a black bag with the help of duty-free workers.

The source said the police officer had smuggled cigarettes from the duty-free area on two previous occasions. He was caught with 140 cartons of cigarettes.

Similar cases have increased since the duty on cigarettes was increased last year.