Rs 21 lakh gutka, tobacco products seized on highway in Palghar; one held

Palghar, Dec 11 (PTI) Police have seized banned gutka and other tobacco products valued at Rs 21.62 lakh from a tempo and arrested its driver in Maharashtra's Palghar district, officials said on Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off, the police stopped the tempo at Mastan Naka in the Manor area on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway on December 8.

They found pouches and bags containing the banned gutka and various brands of tobacco products valued at Rs 21,62,977 in the vehicle, an official from Manor police station said.

The 36-year-old tempo driver was arrested and booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Food Safety and Standards Act, he said.

Search was on for the vehicle owner and others involved in the unlawful trade, the police added. PTI COR GK