Thane: Banned gutka worth Rs 6.81 lakh seized; 1 held

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Police have seized banned gutka worth Rs 6.81 lakh from a tempo and arrested its driver in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Thursday. A police team carried out a raid near Mankoli bridge in Bhiwandi town late Tuesday evening following a tip-off and intercepted the gutka-laden vehicle, the official from Narpoli police station said.

They arrested the vehicle's 25-year-old driver, a Bihar native currently residing at Dharavi in neighbouring Mumbai, and registered a case against him under relevant sections, he said. The police were trying to find out the source of the gutka and to whom the accused was to deliver it, the official said.

The sale and consumption of gutka, scented and flavoured tobacco has been banned in Maharashtra since 2012. In 2018, the state government made sale of gutka a non-bailable offence and enhanced the punishment for it from six months to three years.

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