Mira road cops find gutka loaded in luxury car, one held

After trucks, tempos and auto-rickshaws, members of the notorious gutka mafia in Mira Road are using high-end luxury cars to smuggle their consignment and avoid detection.

Acting on a tip-off, that a consignment of banned gutka products was stashed in the dickey of a black-coloured Honda City car which was parked in the compound of a building in the Shanti Park area of Mira Road, a team from the Mira Road police station immediately reached the spot. Upon searching, the police found multiple gunny bags stashed with hundreds of pan-masala and scented tobacco product sachets in the dickey of the car.

The value of the seized consignment comprising pan-masala and scented tobacco products of various brands is said to be more than Rs.1.67 lakh. The lone occupant of the car who has been identified as Siraj Mansoori (28) was taken into custody and booked under the relevant sections of the IPC and Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Act, 2011. Although the sale of banned gutka products continues unabated, a strong syndicate of notorious smugglers brazenly operate a well-oiled distribution network in the twin city.

It has been alleged that small-time suppliers land into the cop net, even as the source of consignment mostly remains a mystery. Moreover, the FDA also chooses to play blind to the illegalities.