Gutkha-making unit is unearthed at Mira Road, one held

After using them as godowns to stock and distribute gutka, pan-masala and scented tobacco of various brands, the notorious gutka mafia has now started manufacturing and packaging the banned products using sophisticated machinery in residential buildings. In a major operation, officials from the Thane unit of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in association with their counterparts from the Naya Nagar police station raided a gutka manufacturing unit that was operating from the upper floors of a high rise building in Mira Road on Monday.

While the owner of the illegally operating unit identified as Sachin Kashid has been arrested, the police has seized, a large number of gutka packets, gunny bags stuffed with raw materials, automatic mixtures and packaging machinery all worth more than Rs 6.34 lakh.

Following credible information an FDA team led by Food Safety Officer’s Manek Jadhav and Arvind Khadake under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner K N Dabhade swooped down on a sixth floor apartment above Hotel Jalaja Inn on the MiraBhayandar Road and busted the unit, less than 24 hours after it had started operations on Sunday.

An FIR under the relevant sections of the IPC and regulations of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 has been registered in this context at the Naya Nagar police station.