Nagpur: In a major crackdown that further exposes the alarming rise of the rotten betel nut smuggling racket, the Nagpur police on Wednesday seized another massive consignment worth Rs 60 lakh from a truck in the Wadi area, the fifth such operation in just five days.
The truck (KL-67/B-5535) was intercepted during a late-night police check near Wadi. On inspection, officers discovered 540 sacks of decomposed betel nut, concealed under other goods. The haul, suspected to be part of a larger interstate smuggling chain, was reportedly linked to a Gujarat-based firm, Anas Enterprises.
Gold Rate
13 Oct 2025
The driver has been detained and interrogated. During questioning, he allegedly revealed that the consignment was destined for Lakshmi Cold Storage in Pardi, Nagpur. Acting swiftly, the police informed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), whose officials later reached the spot and collected samples for laboratory analysis. Preliminary findings suggest the consignment was imported from Indonesia, routed through Kerala, and then transported to Nagpur, once again confirming the “Indonesian connection” behind this flourishing illegal trade.
Police sources said that the Wadi area has now turned into a nerve centre of the smuggling network. Several godowns and warehouses in the locality are allegedly being used for storing and repackaging these consignments before they are dispatched to Amravati, Madhya Pradesh, and other parts of Central India.
The seizure is part of a larger pattern that has left enforcement agencies alarmed. With five major operations in just five days, Nagpur appears to have become a key transit and distribution point for the tainted product, a racket that not only cheats consumers but also poses serious public health and economic threats.
Police officials have vowed to intensify the crackdown, saying the network involves deep-rooted interstate and international links, with strong indications of organised cartel operations using Nagpur as a strategic hub.
