Banned gutkha products seized from house in Cuddalore

The products were at a house that had a to-let board, and are worth several crores of rupees, police said

Superintendent of Police M. Sree Abhinav inspecting the banned gutkha packets seized from a house in Cuddalore on Friday

In a major haul, the Cuddalore police seized banned gutkha products valued at several crores from an illegally-operated godown in a house in K.N. Pettai on Friday.

Acting on a tip-off, a team led by Cuddalore Deputy Superintendent of Police, K. Shanthi, raided the house and found a large quantity of gutkha stocks there. The contraband was seized.

Superintendent of Police M. Sree Abhinav visited the house and inspected the seized stocks. Speaking to The Hindu , he said that the house had a to-let board and was illegally functioning as a godown. The ground floor of the house was stocked with banned gutkha products including khaini and other chewable forms of tobacco products.

A search has been launched to nab the house owner he said, adding that a special team had been constituted to investigate where the tobacco products were sourced from, and trace the supply chain of the contraband.

The exact value of the seized products would be known only after an inspection by Food Safety Department officials, he said.

A case has been registered and further investigations are on.