Maha: Gutka, banned tobacco products worth Rs 74 lakh seized; three held

In separate operations, police seized gutka and other banned tobacco products collectively worth nearly Rs 74 lakh from three vehicles at Turbhe in Navi Mumbai, and arrested three persons in this connection, an official said. While the first seizure was made on February 19, the second operation was conducted on February 22, he said. ”Gutka and other banned tobacco products worth Rs 73.78 lakh were seized from three vehicles on these two days,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I) Vivek Pansare said in a press conference on Thursday.

The three vehicles involved in the crime were also seized, he said. Offences under various Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations were registered against the accused at Turbhe police station. A man, who distributed these banned tobacco products in Thane, Mumbai and Raigad districts, was among three persons arrested in this case. He was held from Manpada in Thane district, he added. The banned goods were being brought to Maharashtra from neighbouring Gujarat, the official said.