Bhiwandi: Despite a statewide ban on the sale and distribution of gutkha in Maharashtra the illegal trade continues to flourish in Bhiwandi city and nearby rural areas. In a major operation the Nizampur Police seized banned gutkha worth 36 lakh being smuggled for sale, along with a truck valued at 9 lakh bringing the total seizure to around 45 lakh.
According to police sources the Nizampur Police received a tip-off that a truck carrying a large consignment of banned gutkha was heading toward Bhiwandi. Acting on the information a police team laid a trap between Vanjarpatti Naka and Kalyan Naka near the Sub-Divisional Officer’s office.
The team intercepted a suspicious truck, and upon checking, found gutkha worth 36,30,600 hidden inside. The driver, identified as Mohammed Yusuf Sharif Shaikh (32) a resident of Mumbra-Kausa was arrested on the spot.
A case has been registered against him under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) pertaining to the sale and transport of prohibited goods along with provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.
Police are now investigating the source of the banned gutkha and tracing those behind its supply and intended distribution network.
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