Illegal gutkha manufacturing unit busted in Odisha’s Ganjam district

Odisha police have unearthed an illegal gutkha manufacturing unit at Tulasi Bihar-Ralab Road under Golanthara police station limits in Ganjam district, police said on Saturday. Acting on a tip-off, Golanthara police on Friday raided a house where the gutkha was manufactured illegally. Besides stocked gutkha, they also seized a huge quantity of raw materials. Three persons have been arrested in this connection, police said. The accused were identified as Niranjan Pradhan (27), Ram Chandra Dash (40), and K Sriramulu Reddy (43). Other persons involved in the illegal activities would be arrested soon, police said.

Finished products, raw materials, machinery to prepare gutkha, packing machines, empty pouches, and other incriminating articles worth around Rs 10 lakh were seized from the spot, Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M said.

He said the unit was operating in the area from a rented house for the last three months.

The accused were booked under sections of the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006, Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA)-2003, and different sections of IPC.

Odisha government has banned the manufacture, sale, storage, and distribution of gutkha and pan masala containing tobacco and nicotine as one of the ingredients by whatever name is available in the market since January 3, 2013.