The Perundurai police on Wednesday (October 7, 2026) seized 429 kg of gutkha products and arrested a 38-year-old man from Salem district in connection with the alleged illegal transportation and distribution of the banned tobacco products.
The police have been conducting vehicle checks across the district as part of measures to curb the illegal sale of gutkha, ganja and illicit liquor. On Wednesday, a team led by Perundurai police Sub-Inspector Prakash was conducting checks on the Thiruvachi stretch of the national highway when a man riding a two-wheeler with a sack allegedly abandoned it and fled on seeing the police.
On checking the sack, the police found 30 kg of gutkha products. The police subsequently examined CCTV footage and traced the registration number of the two-wheeler. The rider was identified as Sivabalan of Vasanthapuram in Salem district.
A police team went to Vasanthapuram and arrested Sivabalan. During a search of his house, another 399 kg of gutkha products, allegedly stocked for distribution, was seized. During interrogation, the police found that Sivabalan had allegedly procured the gutkha from Karnataka and supplied it to shops in Salem and Erode districts. He was produced before the Perundurai court and remanded in judicial custody.
Published - October 07, 2026 06:07 pm IST