Gutka, banned tobacco products valued at Rs 87 lakh seized in Thane district

The police in Maharashtra’s Thane district have recovered gutka and banned tobacco products valued at Rs 87 lakh from a vehicle, an official said on Saturday. Acting on inputs about gutka and other contrabands being smuggled from Gujarat, a local crime branch intercepted a tempo on the Gandhar Bridge on the Kalyan-Padgha road early Friday morning, he said. However, the tempo driver tried to escape, prompting the team, led by senior inspector Ajit Shinde, to chase it. The cops managed to stop the vehicle after some distance. The police subsequently recovered gutka and banned tobacco products, worth about Rs 87 lakh, from the tempo and arrested the driver, the official said. A case has been registered at the Khadakpada police station under the Food and Drug Administration Act, he said.