The Thane (rural) police seized a consignment of gutkha worth more than Rs 7.48 lakh from two delivery vehicles including a container truck that had been parked in a residential locality located in Kashimira on Wednesday night.
Despite a ban of its sale in the state, the gutkha trade has flourished amid the COVID-19 lockdown, as some unscrupulous elements are selling the sachets of the substances at five times the original rates.
Based on a specific tip-off, a team led by PSI Gaikwad under the instructions of Senior Police Inspector Sanjay Hazare checked the delivery vehicles that were parked in-line on the service road in the Pleasant Park area of Kashimira at around 9:45 pm on Wednesday. Both the vehicles (bearing Maharashtra registration numbers) were found to be carrying gunny bags stashed with thousands of sachets of gutkha and other scented tobacco products which are banned in the state.
The market value of the consignment has been estimated at Rs 7,48,520. The drivers who have been identified as Ravi Ashok Dubey (22) and Shashi Kumar Sahani (22) were taken into custody and booked under the relevant sections of the IPC and regulations of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations.
They have also been charged for violating the Maharashtra COVID-19 regulations. While the vehicles have been impounded and samples of the seized consignment have been sent for lab tests. Investigations were underway to ascertain the origin and destination of the consignment to identify the real culprits and break through the supply chain, said the police.
