Officials with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Tuesday seized 212 kg banned tobacco products from a warehouse in Coimbatore.
The seized products are valued at ₹1.75 lakh.
FSSAI officials said that the banned tobacco products were seized from the warehouse of a grocery store belonging to Semburaja at Puliyakulam during a routine inspection.
The store was inspected as part of verifying FSSAI licence compliance.
“The owner of the shop had hidden the tobacco products inside cartons containing edible items,” said B. Vijayalalithambigai, designated food safety officer of FSSAI in Coimbatore.
Ms. Vijayalalithambigai said that the seized contraband were of different brands. Four samples have been lifted for examination at the Government laboratory.
“A case will be registered against the shop owner if the laboratory examination confirms the presence of tobacco in the samples,” she said.
