Dindigul: Food safety officials on Wednesday seized banned tobacco products weighing around two tonnes from two houses on the outskirts of Dindigul town. The estimated value of the seized items is Rs 20 lakh.
The banned tobacco products -- 1.6 tonnes of Ganesh tobacco 701, 350kg of Vimal pan masala and 150kg of cool lip filtered tobacco -- were seized by a team of 10 officials led by designated officer for food safety, Dindigul district, Dr K Natarajan.
The banned items were hidden in two residential houses, belonging to the same person, at Mettupatti. Of the 30 bundles, 25 were found in one portion, the rest were found in the other.
The officials acted on a tip-off and confirmed the presence of the contraband in the houses. They took the help of police. Women officials from the food safety department were also deployed since women were the only occupants in the houses. The smugglers were not present in the house.
While the contraband has been shifted, the samples would be sent to a laboratory.
Officials suspect that it could be a part of larger network. Details like mode of transport and the distribution network were under investigation.
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