Thane: Gutka worth Rs 9.37 lakh seized from luxury bus; driver held

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Police have seized gutka worth Rs 9.37 lakh being transported from neighbouring Madhya Pradesh and arrested the driver of a luxury bus in Thane district in Maharashtra, an official said on Saturday, PTI reported.

As per PTI, a team from the local crime branch intercepted the vehicle at Golban village on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway in Shahapur on Thursday night, Superintendent of Police (Thane Rural), Dr D S Swamy said.

He said that gutka worth Rs 9.37 lakh was found in the luxury bus heading to Thane from Indore.

The official said the bus driver, Joginder Prasad Shah (54), has been arrested under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, PTI cited.

Earlier, an official said that the police recently seized the banned gutka valued at Rs 8.42 lakh from a tempo and arrested its driver in Maharashtra's Thane district, reported news agency PTI.

The tempo was spotted opposite the Karivali police chowki in the Bhiwandi area.

During checking of the vehicle, the police found gutka being transported in it, the official from Bhoiwada police station said while sharing an update on the Thane crime, reported PTI.

The gutka was seized and the vehicle was impounded.

The 39-year-old tempo driver was arrested, the official said.

During interrogation, the driver told the police that a man from Gaibibi Nagar had ordered the stock, the official said while sharing an update on the Thane crime, reported PTI.

A case was registered against the accused under relevant legal provisions, the police added.

Thane: Banned gutka, tobacco products of Rs 5.3 lakh seized from tempo; driver held

An official said that police have arrested a 22-year-old tempo driver after seizing the banned gutka and tobacco products valued at Rs 5.32 lakh from his vehicle in Maharashtra's Thane district, reported news agency PTI.

A police team spotted the tempo on K B Road in Ambernath area on October 6 and intercepted it on the basis of suspicion, reported PTI.

During a search, the police found the Banned gutka, tobacco products in the vehicle, the official said.

The police enquired with the tempo driver, who could not give a satisfactory reply about the banned goods following which he was arrested, reported PTI.

A case was registered against the driver under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the FDA regulations, the official said, reported PTI.

The police were trying to find out the source of the goods and to whom the accused planned to sell them, he added.

(With inputs from PTI)