The Taloja police have seized sacks filled with gutkha worth ₹13 lakh from two abandoned vehicles at Pendhar in Taloja.
According to the police, prima facie it is suspected that the banned drug was brought to Taloja for distribution to peddlers and shops that sold it illegally.
Acting on a tip-off, the Taloja police searched an abandoned truck and a tempo that were parked at a secluded spot in Pendhar. They found several sacks of pan masala in the vehicles and approached the Food and Drug Administration in Raigad to verify the contents.
“The officials at the Food and Drug Administration confirmed that the sacks contained gutkha, which is banned in Maharashtra. We suspect that the accused abandoned the vehicles in a secluded spot so that they did not arouse the suspicion of officials,” said senior police inspector Kashinath Chavan from the Taloja police station. The total gutkha seized was worth ₹12.96 lakh, the police said.
A case has been registered against the driver and owner of the two vehicles under Sections 188, 272, 273, 328, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and under relevant sections of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011. The police are on the lookout for the accused.
