Nellore: Gutka worth Rs 46 lakh, imported cigarettes seized

Nellore: Sleuths of Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) have seized 128 bags of banned gutka packets worth Rs 46 lakh and 400 packets of Paris-made imported cigarettes of several types in two godowns at Gudluru of Kandukuru subdivision on Wednesday.

The SEB personnel arrested two accused during the raids and they were identified as Tirumalaraju Venkateswarlu from Tettu village and Bayya Sudhakar from Kandukuru town. SP Ch Vijaya Rao informed on Wednesday that a team led by Kandukuru Circle Inspector H S Hussain Basha, SEB staff and Sub-Inspector G Balakrishna conducted raids on two godowns at Tettu in Gudluru mandal and Oguru in Kandukuru rural mandal.

The team found tobacco products and imported cigarettes without having any licence and they arrested Venkateswarlu and Sudhakar. A suspect sheet was opened against Venkateswarlu in Gudluru police station earlier and 5 cases were registered against him under the police station limits.

Further, there were 6 cases related to COTPA registered against Sudhakar in Singarayakonda and Kandukuru police station limits earlier. The worth of seized gutka was around Rs 46 lakh.

Vijaya Rao said the team came to know that the stocks were illegally transported from Tumkur in Karnataka for selling gutka at higher prices in AP. He warned that they would take stern action against illegal trading and transportation of the banned tobacco products.