Palghar, Feb 25 (PTI) Police have seized banned gutka worth Rs 11.43 lakh from a truck in Virar area here in Maharashtra, an official said on Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off, the police intercepted the truck on Wednesday on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway here while it was coming from Gujarat, he said.

The police found 22 gunny bags containing gukta hidden beneath boxes of clothes kept in the vehicle, he said.

A case was registered against the goods transporter under relevant sections, the official said, adding that no arrest has been made so far.

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

In 2018, the state government made sale of gutka a non-bailable offence and enhanced the punishment for it from six months to three years.

(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)