Preliminary probe finds former DMK panchayat president helped

Preliminary investigations into the running of a recently busted illegal Gutka manufacturing unit has revealed that a former DMK Panchayat president helped the owner run it for the last few years, police said.

A special team probing the matter found that Dalapathi Murugesan had helped the owner Amit Jain run the unit, housed in a residential area without paying taxes, though he was paying property and water taxes, they said.

The unit also did not have pollution board clearance and industrial license since 2011 and Murugesan reportedly assisted Jain for the 'illegal activities', it said.

The unit, manufacturing banned tobacco products, including pan masala and gutka, was busted at nearby Sulur on April 28.

Two gunny bags of finished tobacco products and nearly 20 tonnes of raw materials were seized.

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