Owner held for bid to enter sealed gutkha godown in Kovai

While patrolling, a police team found a group of five men waiting in front of a sealed godown at Ponnaiyarajapuram near Gandhi Park around 1.30 am on Wednesday.

The officials of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on July 2 had raided the godown on a tip-off and had seized 1,500 kilograms of gutkha products worth about Rs 17 lakh.

The godown owner Ashok, who was there at the godown during the raid, had managed to flee away from the spot. Based on a complaint from FSSAI designated officer B Vijayalalithambigai, the Selvapuram police registered a case and a search was on to nab the culprit.

Meanwhile, the police detained the five men on suspicion and identified them as Kasi Viswanathan, Suresh, Babu, Saleem and Ashraf, all daily wagers involved in loading and unloading jobs.

They were brought to the spot by the absconding godown owner Ashok to load goods. As the labourers found the godown sealed, they had refused to carry out the works. Subsequently, the accused told the labourers that he will make alternative arrangements for the job and fled the spot.

Thereafter, the cops managed to bring Ashok to the spot by making labourers speak to him over the phone. Once Ashok arrived, the cops made an easy catch and took him to the police station for an enquiry.

Police are interrogating him to know if the gutkha products seized from his godown were manufactured locally and was meant for local supply.