TIRUCHY: The Kumbakonam police seized 585 kg gutka worth Rs 5 lakh at Cholapuram village on Friday and arrested one person while a search is on for another. The SP Ashish Rawat had ordered raids against the sale of gutka in the district.

The DSPs formed several special teams and conducted vehicle checks at key spots across the district. During one such vehicle inspection, a team found that a gang was smuggling a huge quantity of banned gutka from Cholapuram.

Cops arrested a person identified as Parameswaran (35) from Kaliamman temple street near Ayyanallur near Kumbakonam for smuggling gutka. Subsequently, the team seized the entire stock and arrested Parameswaran and the search is on for the others. Cops seized 585 kg of banned gutka worth Rs 5 lakh.