MUMBAI: The Maharashtra food and drugs administration (FDA) on Saturday said it seized prohibited gutkha worth Rs 1.13 crore and asked the police to examine whether stringent action under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) can be initiated against the accused.According to the FDA, acting on confidential information, officials launched an operation at 2 pm on Friday to trace a truck transporting prohibited gutkha, news agency PTI reported.The truck was reportedly travelling from Madhya Pradesh through the Samruddhi Expressway towards Bhiwandi in Thane.However, it changed its planned route and proceeded towards Pune via Sangamner, the FDA said.After the change in route was noticed, FDA teams were deployed along possible routes. The Thane Division team was sent towards Murbad, while the Pune Division team was deployed at Rajgurunagar.At the Rajgurunagar Toll Plaza, food safety officer Laxmikant Savale attempted to stop the truck by positioning a vehicle across its path. However, the driver did not stop and continued driving, the FDA said.Savale continued pursuing the truck and intercepted it at Chakan-Talegaon Chowk with the assistance of the local police, PTI reported.“After a pursuit lasting approximately six hours, the truck was taken into custody at around 8pm. Upon inspection of the truck, various brands of pan masala and flavoured tobacco (gutkha), prohibited in Maharashtra, were found. The total value of the seized material is Rs 1,13,54,600. The entire material was subsequently seized by the Food Safety Officer,” an official said.After the seizure procedure was completed, the process of initiating legal action against the concerned persons continued until late at night.At 10pm on Saturday, the food safety officer, Pune, registered a complaint at Chakan police station in Pimpri-Chinchwad against the concerned persons under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), PTI reported.Those arrested included driver Nafis Mehboob Khan, 40, a resident of Haryana; Nilesh Rathi, a resident of Khamgaon, Buldhana, identified as an owner/supplier; Arun Patil, a resident of Jalgaon, identified as an owner/supplier; and Sanjay Mata, a resident of Indore, identified as a transporter.Prima facie, the incident appears not merely to be a violation of food safety law but an organised and continuous illegal trade that poses a risk to public health, the FDA said.“Therefore, the Food and Drug Administration has requested the police to examine the previous criminal records of the accused, the supply chain and financial transactions, and, if they are found guilty, to submit a proposal to the competent authorities for stringent action under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA),” the FDA said.(With agency inputs)
