CHENNAI: The police have arrested five persons in separate incidents for selling banned gutkha products in the city.
About 450 kg of gutka products were seized.
On Saturday (July 4), during a search at a suspect's house, a police team found about 83.5 kg of gutkha stored in the house and arrested Mohammed Anas (29).
In another operation, police conducted surveillance at United India Colony 3rd Cross Street in Kodambakkam and rounded up Bharathidasan (59), Mani (48) and Dinesh (34) of Saidapet, who were selling gutkha from an autorickshaw and seized about 25.35 kg of oral tobacco from them.
In another incident, the police arrested the key accused in connection with the storage and sale of banned gutka tobacco products in Puzhal and seized 340 kg of gutka packets along with two cars.
On June 29, the Puzhal police had arrested four persons and seized 23.48 kg of banned gutka from them. Continuing the probe in the case, the police arrested Ronak Singh (23) of M.K.B Nagar on Saturday night and seized 340 kg of gutka from him.
Inquiry revealed that Singh and his associates procured gutkha from Bengaluru by car and sold it to dealers in the city.
The arrested persons were produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.