Andhra Pradesh: Nellore police arrest two persons involved in gutka smuggling

They seize contraband worth ₹46 lakh during raids at two godowns in Nellore district

The Nellore police on Wednesday arrested two persons reportedly involved in the smuggling of gutka from Karnataka into the State and seized contraband worth ₹46 lakh during raids at two godowns.

Addressing the media here, Superintendent of Police Ch Vijaya Rao said Special Enforcement Bureau(SEB) teams seized contraband worth ₹30 lakh, smuggled into the State from Tumkur in Karnataka, from a hideout in Thettu village, near Gudlur. Raids on another godown at Oguru village, near Kandukur, led to seizure of gutka worth ₹16 lakh, he said.

The arrested were Tirumala Raju (40) and Sudhakar (40), both from Kandukur.

Probe revealed that the duo had been smuggling the contraband from Tumkur, about 70 km from Bengaluru, and selling the same to people in the State at a higher price, the SP said.

In all, 11 cases were registered against the duo in the police stations at Gudlur and Singarayakonda under various IPC sections as also the The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances(NDPS) Act and the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, Special Enforcement Bureau Joint Director K Srilakshmi said.

A suspect sheet was opened against Tirumala Raju in Gudlur police station in the past, she added.