Krishna District Collector A. Md. Imtiaz on Wednesday issued orders invoking the Preventive Detention (PD) Act against three gutkha peddlers, who were allegedly wanted in several smuggling cases.
This is the first time that the PD Act has been invoked against gutkha peddlers in the district, police said.
The three suspects, identified as K.V.N. Rajeswara Rao, K. Chakradhar and Dasa Shekhar, were taken into custody and are facing trial in similar cases, said Superintendent of Police M. Ravindranath Babu.
The accused were earlier taken into custody by the Kanchikacherla, Nandigama, Penuganchiprolu and Chandarlapadu police in the past, and were warned against smuggling and selling banned gutkha products. However, the accused continued to sell tobacco, causing health problems to the public, the SP said.
Rajeswara Rao, a resident of Kanchikacherla mandal in Krishna district, was facing 12 cases. Chakradhar is wanted in 11 cases in the district, while 13 cases are pending against Shekhar at Kanchikacherla police station.
“The suspects will be formally arrested and produced in court. Stern action will be taken against gutkha and ganja peddlers in the district,” Mr. Ravindranath Babu said.
“This is for the first time in Krishna district that the PD Act has been invoked against gutkha peddlers. The modus operandi of the accused is to import different brands of gutkha products from Odisha and other States and sell them to retailers in the district,” the SP said.
