Navi Mumbai: Police held 28-year-old man with banned tobacco products worth Rs 1.97 lakh

A 28-year-old man was arrested by Navi Mumbai police for allegedly possessing prohibited tobacco items worth Rs 1.97 lakh. Based on a tip-off, officials of the Navi Mumbai crime branch on Saturday raided a room in a chawl at Padgha village in Taloja area, the official from Taloja police station said.

They seized a stock of scented tobacco, betel nuts and paan masala worth Rs 1.97 lakh from his possession, he said.  The police arrested the man, identified as Guddu Minku Gupta, who was allegedly planning to sell the products with the help of two other persons, the official said. Efforts were on to trace the two others, he said.

The police have registered an FIR against the three accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, he added.