Continuing the drive against Gutkha and Pan Masala, the unit two of Crime Branch of Navi Mumbai police seized Gutkha worth Rs 6.68 lakh in Panvel along the Sion-Panvel highway. The Gutkha was being transported in a luxury bus from Madhya Pradesh to Mumbai when it was caught by the police.
In the last month, the Navi Mumbai police have seized Gutkha and Pan Masala worth Rs 50 lakh from different places.
The police received a tip-off that an inter-state racket is active in Gutkha supplies to the city. “We received information that one passenger was carrying Gutkha from Madhya Pradesh in a luxury bus,” said a senior official. He added that after bringing Gutkha in a luxury bus, it was loaded in a tempo. Based on the information, the police laid a trap traced near Garden hotel in Panvel and caught the tempo with Gutkha worth Rs 6,68,320.
The passenger who brought Gutkha identified as Saijuddin Ansari, 32 was arrested under section 188, 272, 273, and 328 of IPC and other relevant sections. The tempo driver identified Raja Ram Salunkhe, 38, was also arrested from Shabaz village in Belapur. Later, the police also seized the luxury bus and arrested the driver. The total seizure was around 61.68 lakh including the bus and tempo.
In the second week of October, the crime branch of Navi Mumbai police arrested four persons and seized banned Gurkha and pan masala worth Rs 36 lakh from Rabale. The police also busted a racket that used to supply Gutkha in states where it is banned. Later the mastermind of the Gutkha supply racket was arrested. In, addition, the Panvel City police had seized Gutkah worth Rs 1.8 lakh from a stockiest in Karanjade in Panvel on October last week.
