Gutka scam: CBI questions Enforcement Directorate's deputy director

The CBI Thursday questioned a deputy director in the Enforcement Directorate in connection with its probe into the Tamil Nadu gutka scam, officials said.

S K Sheoran, Deputy Director in the Enforcement Directorate (ED), was an assistant director in the DGCEI when the scam allegedly took place. He was questioned at the Chennai office of the agency, they said.

The agency also questioned Superintendent of Police, Villupuram, S Jayakumar in connection with the scam, they said.

The scam came to light on July 8, 2017, when income tax sleuths raided the godown, offices and residences of a pan masala and gutka (a concoction of tobacco and pan masala) manufacturer in Tamil Nadu, who had been facing charges of tax evasion to the tune of Rs 250 crore.

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