Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
The Crime Branch busted a deadly fake gutkha manufacturing unit in an isolated area of Padegaon on Wednesday.
The accused has been identified as Shaikh Irshad (35, Harsul, Jatwada). The factory was set up in a rented house (Gat No. 82) with raw materials and machinery seized during the raid. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also sealed the premises. Irshad, previously involved in banned gutkha trade, admitted that he, along with Tayyad Mumbrawala from Mumbra, invested around Rs 15 lakh to set up the unit. Chemicals, low-quality raw supari, and tobacco were transported to the city, while workers from Mumbra manufactured fake gutkha. Finished products were sent back to Mumbai. Packing machines, weighing scales, and wrapper boxes of various brands were procured from Gujarat and Bihar. The case was registered at Chavani Police Station, and further investigation is being conducted by police sub-inspector Sachin Gadekar.