Gone to nab fugitive, cops stumble upon huge cache of gutka, one held

A week after they caught two people for ferrying banned gutka products in an auto-rickshaw, a team from the Mira Road police station stumbled upon another huge consignment when they had gone to nab an absconding accused in the case.

Acting on a tip-off a team led by Police Inspector (Crime)- Sachin Kothmire under the supervision of Senior Police Inspector- Vijaysingh Baghal had chased the suspected auto-rickshaw and intercepted it near the RBK school in the Kanakia area of Mira Road on 27, April.

Upon searching, the police found multiple gunny bags stashed with tobacco laced gutka sachets of various brands in the vehicle. Two people identified as-Ramchandra Chaurasiya and Dhanraj Chauhan were arrested and booked under the relevant sections of the IPC and regulations of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations.

While being interrogated the duo revealed some clues about their absconding accomplice, following which the police team under the instructions of Senior Police Inspector- Vijaysingh Baghal swooped down on a tenement in the Rabodi area of Thane on Wednesday night. Here the police stumbled upon another consignment of banned gutka products worth more than Rs. 15 lakh.

While a 25-year-old person was arrested from the tenement, a hunt was still on for the absconder, police said. Not ruling out more arrests in the case, an officer said, “ We are trying to ascertain the main source and supply chain to nab the suppliers and buyers who are the actual beneficiaries of the illegal trade.”

The racket involved in smuggling of banned products into Mumbai and Thane from neighboring states continues unabated, even as officials from the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) continue to remain in deep slumber.

Further investigations are underway.