Hyderabad: Five arrested for illegal transport of gutka

Hyderabad: The Central Zone Task Force team has apprehended five men in possession of gutka worth Rs 3 lakh from Amberpet on Wednesday. Officials seized 18 bags of tobacco products and an SUV from the men, identified as Syed Rafeeq, 34, Mohd Feroze, 29, Mohd Omer alias Majid, 36, Sabavath Suryam alias Surya, 26, and Santosh, a wholesale dealer.

“Santosh sells tobacco products in his shop at Gunj Market in Bidar of Karnataka and Rafeeq works as a salesman there. As the sale of tobacco products is prohibited in Hyderabad, Santosh took the help of Syed Rafeeq and Mohd Feroze and hatched a plan to transport and supply tobacco products to the needy in the city,” said DCP Commissioner's Task Force, P. Radha Krishna Rao.

“Accordingly, while they were delivering the products to Sabavath Suryam of Amberpet and Mohd Omer of Shaheen Nagar on Tuesday, they were apprehended and the stash was seized from them along with the SUV used for transporting it," said Mr Rao. 

The apprehended persons, along with seized properties were handed over to the Amberpet police for necessary further action.