Unit 3 of the crime branch of Navi Mumbai police arrested a 32-year-old man from Sarsole in Nerul and seized banned Gutkha worth Rs 4.9 lakh. The accused had stored the contraband at his house for selling wholesale and retail. The police seized different varieties of Gutkha from his possession.
The accused was identified as Sadanand Ramgopal Sahu, a resident of sector 6 in Nerul. The crime branch had received information on June 3 that banned Gutkha was being sold in Nerul.
Based on the information, the crime branch carried out a raid at the house of Sahu around 10 pm on June 3. During the raid, the police team found Gutkah was stored in several plastic bags in a separate room. Police said that Sahu was selling to retailers and also transporting to different places the banned items.
“We seized a total of eight varieties of gutkha worth Rs 4, 90,460 which is banned in Maharashtra,” said an official from the crime branch. He added that they are also investigating who was buying gutkha from the accused. Meanwhile, a case was registered at Nerul police station against Sahu under sections 272, 273, 328 and 34 of IPC, sections 26 (2) (iv) and 26(4) of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. The Navi Mumbai police commissioner has zero tolerance against the trade of banned Gutkha in the city.
