Hyderabad: The Commissioner’s Task Force (Golconda Zone), along with Asif Nagar police, busted an alleged illegal pan masala and gutka manufacturing unit at Muradnagar and apprehended three workers besides rescuing two children allegedly employed at the unit.
Acting on credible information, the police raided a premises at Asif Nagar, where unbranded AAA, Badshah and Sagar pan masala and gutka/tobacco products were allegedly being manufactured without the required licences and statutory declarations.
Police seized large quantities of raw tobacco and gutka, packing material and machinery, with the total value of the seized property estimated at Rs 50 lakh.
The seized material included loose zarda, ready-mixed gutka weighing around 260 kg, raw materials such as katha, supari and chunna, packing rolls and sachets.
Three workers — Rohit Kumar alias Rohit Yadav, 25, Saurabh alias Saurabh Chowhan, 20, and Matadeen alias Rahul Permer, 21 — were apprehended. Two children were also rescued from the premises.
According to police, Zubair and Muzzaffer, alias Dada, were allegedly running the unit, with Muzzaffer being the owner of the premises. Both are absconding.
Police alleged that the products were being manufactured and sold in Hyderabad without valid FSSAI, GST or tobacco-related licences. The packets allegedly lacked mandatory details such as manufacturing and expiry dates, batch numbers, MRP, ingredients and statutory warnings.
The raid also led to the seizure of three gutka packing machines, a gutka mixer, oven, supari-cutting machine, weighing machines, sealing machine and bag-sewing machine.
