Thane, Nov 21 (PTI) Four owners of paan stalls in Navi Mumbai have been arrested for allegedly stocking and selling banned tobacco products, police said on Tuesday.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) personnel raided the outlets located in APMC market on Monday and seized the banned tobacco items worth Rs 5,000, an official from APMC police station said.

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The accused, in the age group of 23 to 61, had stocked the banned products despite being aware that their consumption was harmful, he said quoting the FIR.

The four accused have been booked under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Food Safety and Standards Act and FDA regulations, the official said.

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The police were trying to find out from where the accused sourced the items.

The sale and consumption of gutka, scented and flavoured tobacco has been banned in Maharashtra since 2012.

(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)