Thane, Jun 25 (PTI) Police have arrested four shopkeepers for allegedly selling gutka in Maharashtra's Navi Mumbai township and seized the banned substance valued at Rs 14,589 from them, an official said on Tuesday.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) personnel conducted a raid on a vegetable market in Vashi on Monday and found the four persons had stocked gutka at their shops and were selling it, the official from APMC police station said.

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The four persons, in the age group of 30 to 45 years, were subsequently arrested, he said.

An FIR was registered against them under Indian Penal Code sections 328 (causing hurt by means of poison), 272 (adulteration of food or drink intended for sale), 273 (sale of noxious food or drink), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 34 (common intention) as well as provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act and the FDA regulations, the police said.

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The sale and consumption of gutka, scented and flavoured tobacco has been banned in Maharashtra.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)