Maharashtra FDA seized prohibited gutkha valued at over Rs 1.13 crore (Photo credit: X)
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra food and drugs administration (FDA) on Saturday said it seized prohibited gutkha worth Rs 1.13 crore and asked the police to examine whether stringent action under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) can be initiated against the accused. Those arrested included driver Nafis Mehboob Khan, 40, a resident of Haryana; Nilesh Rathi, a resident of Khamgaon, Buldhana, identified as an owner/supplier; Arun Patil, a resident of Jalgaon, identified as an owner/supplier; and Sanjay Mata, a resident of Indore, identified as a transporter. Savale continued pursuing the truck and intercepted it at Chakan-Talegaon Chowk with the assistance of the local police, PTI reported.
Prima facie, the incident appears not merely to be a violation of food safety law but an organised and continuous illegal trade that poses a risk to public health, the FDA said. “Therefore, the Food and Drug Administration has requested the police to examine the previous criminal records of the accused, the supply chain and financial transactions, and, if they are found guilty, to submit a proposal to the competent authorities for stringent action under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA),” the FDA said. At 10pm on Saturday, the food safety officer, Pune, registered a complaint at Chakan police station in Pimpri-Chinchwad against the concerned persons under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), PTI reported.
The total value of the seized material is Rs 1,13,54,600.
The entire material was subsequently seized by the Food Safety Officer,” an official said. “After a pursuit lasting approximately six hours, the truck was taken into custody at around 8pm. Upon inspection of the truck, various brands of pan masala and flavoured tobacco (gutkha), prohibited in Maharashtra, were found.