4 held for making banned tobacco items in TN

Four workers of a unit manufacturing banned tobacco products, such as paan masala and gutka, here were arrested and remanded to judicial custody today, police said.

A search is on for the unit's owner Amit Jain, who hails from New Delhi, they said.

Based on a tip-off, the police had raided the godown of the factory yesterday and seized a large quantity of finished tobacco products and raw materials estimated to be worth crores of rupees.

Preliminary inquiry revealed that 500 kgs of tobacco products were being manufactured daily and sent to various states, police said.

The unit reportedly has a licence to make scented betel nut, but illegally manufactured the banned tobacco products, they said.

A special police team has left for Delhi to nab Jain, police added.

A case has been registered against five people including Jain, under two sections of the Cigarettes and Tobacco Act 2003.

The four were produced before Sulur Magistrate Vediyappan, who remanded them to judicial custody till May 13.

All have been lodged in the Central jail here.

The manufacture, storage and sale of chewable forms of tobacco, including gutka and paan masala, were banned by the state government in 2013.