Hyderabad: On a tip-off, Commissioner’s Task Force personnel raided a shop near Pillar No 30 at Mehdipatnam for illegally marketing noxious Gutka containing tobacco contents and nabbed five accused, including P. Srisailam, main dealer, V. Srinivas, sub-dealer, along with two drivers and a cleaner B. Ashok, S. Sandeep Kumar and D. Mukund Rao and seized banned chewing tobacco and noxious gutka packets of various brands worth about Rs 13 lakh, two Auto trolleys and cash of Rs 16,000 from their possession. Another accused T. Ashok Kumar, 45, of Venkateshwara Colony, Saroor Nagar, R.R.District was absconding.
Commissioner’s Task Force DCP P Radha Kishan Rao said main accused P. Srisailam has been illegally supplying banned gutka products in Hyderabad by procuring them from Bidar district of Karnataka State. In this process, he was arrested by Bowenpally Police in January this year. Later he employed V. Srinivas and T. Ashok Kumar to supply gutka materials to customers in Hyderabad. Srisailam used to purchase banned chewing tobacco and noxious gutka from “Sai Chalia”, “Pavan Chalia” and “Meraj Chalia” in Bidar District and supplying the same to V. Srinivas and Ashok and other needy customers in Hyderabad.
They engaged two autos and loaded them with gutka and tobacco materials on Saturday and came to Pillar No. 30, Mehdipatnam to deliver the Gutka materials to the accused V. Srinivas and T. Ashok Kumar. While they were delivering the gutka and tobacco products, the West Zone Task Force personnel surfaced and apprehended them along with gutka and tobacco materials and Autos. However, T. Ashok Kumar escaped on seeing the police.
The police also seized gutka packets worth Rs 13 lakh. The arrested accused persons along with seized material were handed over to SHO, Asif Nagar. (NSS)
