VIJAYAWADA: Sleuths of the Commissioner’s Task Force (CTF) arrested three persons for reportedly transporting banned tobacco products such as gutkha and khaini, worth around Rs 18 lakh in a lorry in Gudavalli village near Vijayawada on Tuesday.
According to Assistant Commissioner of Police KV Srinivasa Rao, the prime accused was identified as Kopuri Kantha Rao (51), a resident of Vuyyur town in Krishna district and has been in the illegal business for past three years.
In 2016, he met one Basha in Berhampur of Odisha to procure khaini and gutkha from him through Visakhapatnam by road.
Following a tip-off from trusted sources, the CTF officials laid a trap and identified the lorry at Gudavalli, intercepted it and seized the stock, taking Kantha Rao and two others into custody.
“The prime accused, Kantha Rao, drivers Haji Athar (41) and Bhukya Chandrasekhar (30) were arrested. While shifting the load from one vehicle to another, we raided the place and seized the stock and vehicles,” said Srinivasa Rao.
A case has been filed and the accused will be produced before the court on Wednesday.