Nagpur: In a crackdown on the sale of prohibited tobacco products and banned nylon manja in Nagpur, the Tehsil police have arrested two persons in separate operations and seized the illegal materials. In the tobacco case, contraband worth around Rs 1.10 lakh was recovered from two locations, while police seized 26 pieces of banned nylon manja from another accused.
The police are now tracing the supply chains to identify the sources of the prohibited products and other persons involved in the illegal trade.
The first operation was launched after the Detection Branch (DB) team of Tehsil police received a tip-off during patrolling that a man was allegedly selling banned tobacco products and had stocked a substantial quantity at his rented residence in Kasabpura.
Acting on the information, police raided the house of Muzzammil alias Kau Ahmed Vakil, who was staying in a rented premises belonging to Iqbal Ansari near the office of Jamat-e-Ulema in Kasabpura. He was arrested, and prohibited tobacco products were seized from his possession.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly told investigators that he had procured the stock from Harshad alias Golu Sheikh, a resident of Hasanbagh. Police subsequently raided Sheikh’s residence, but he was not present at the time. The search, however, led to the recovery of banned tobacco products valued at around Rs 56,000.
A case was registered at Tehsil police station following a complaint lodged by Sheetal Deshpande, an Inspector with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Police are investigating the source of the tobacco products and trying to identify other persons linked to the supply and distribution network.
26 pieces of banned nylon manja seized
In a separate operation, Tehsil police received information that a person would arrive near Gandhibagh Garden to sell prohibited nylon manja.
Acting on the tip-off, the police laid a trap and detained Wasim Akram Mohammed Ahmed, 33. During a search, officers recovered 26 pieces of banned nylon manja from a plastic sack allegedly carried by him.
The police are now investigating where the accused obtained the nylon manja and identifying the supplier behind the consignment.
The two operations highlight the police effort to curb the circulation of prohibited tobacco products and dangerous nylon kite strings. Further investigation is underway in both cases.
