Lockdown: Gutkha, cigarettes worth Rs 50L seized in Mumbai

Mumbai, May 8 () A team of Mumbai Crime Branch andMaharashtra FDA seized stocks of gutkha, cigarette and othertobacco items worth almost Rs 50 lakh in Govandi and arrestedthree people during the lockdown for the novel coronavirusoutbreak, officials said on Friday.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of Unit X of Crime Branchand the state's Food and Drug Administration intercepted atempo, which had a pass for ferrying essential items, inShivajinagar in Govandi on Thursday and made the seizure, anofficial said.

"We seized gutkha, cigarettes and other tobacco itemsworth Rs 21.48 lakh. Two persons who were held on the spotinformed us about a godown in Govandi which had Rs 28 lakhworth of gutkha stock. This too was seized and one more personarrested," he added.

The three have been identified as Mohammed Gaus ZahurKhan (38), Shaizad Kuchi (31) and S N Khan (28), he said. DCBNM BNM