12 September,2026 04:36 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
During the raid, police detained nine people and seized five vehicles — a container, two tempos, a Bolero, and a pickup vehicle. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Bhandup Police have seized banned gutkha and flavoured supari worth Rs 1.18 crore in a raid in Mumbai's Nahur early on Saturday. Nine people were detained, and five vehicles allegedly used to transport the prohibited products were also seized, police said.
Acting on confidential information about the transportation and sale of banned gutkha and flavoured supari, a team led by Assistant Police Inspector Vinod Lad was deployed by the Bhandup Police to verify the information and take action.
According to the police, the team laid a trap at around 4.25 am on Saturday at the municipal parking area on Vikhroli Road in Nahur, within the jurisdiction of Bhandup Police Station.
During the raid, police detained nine people and seized five vehicles - a container, two tempos, a Bolero, and a pickup vehicle.
Police said the vehicles were carrying Varanasi Ashiq branded flavoured supari and flavoured tobacco. The seized prohibited products were valued at Rs 20.21 lakh, while the five vehicles were estimated to be worth Rs 98 lakh, taking the total value of the seized material to Rs 1.18 crore.
The nine detained persons, five vehicles and the seized material have been taken into custody, and proceedings to register a case at Bhandup Police Station are underway, police said.
The action was carried out under the guidance of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, Joint Commissioner of Police Manojkumar Sharma (Law and Order), Additional Commissioner of Police Dhananjay Kulkarni, Deputy Commissioner of Police Abhay Singh Deshmukh, and Assistant Commissioner of Police Ajay Joshi.
Senior Police Inspector Sapna Khirsagar also supervised the operation. The team involved Assistant Police Inspector Vinod Lad, Police Head Constables Hiralal Charande, Mukesh Tirmare and Ganesh Sonawane, and Police Constables Vikas Shinde and Vijaykumar Pawar.
The seizure comes amid a statewide crackdown on banned gutkha and other prohibited tobacco products. The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it confiscated prohibited items worth Rs 19.62 crore from 795 establishments during its enforcement drive between June and August.
The FDA also filed 644 FIRs, arrested 867 people, sealed 483 establishments, and seized 110 vehicles during the three-month drive. The manufacture, sale, distribution, and transport of pan masala, gutkha, scented tobacco, and similar products has been banned across Maharashtra since July 13.
