Mumbai, Aug 29 (PTI) Police on Tuesday recovered 44 more packets of charas washed ashore at two beaches in Shrivardhan taluka in Raigad district of Maharashtra, an official said.

With the latest recovery, police have so far found 107 packets of charas worth Rs 4.50 crore at various sea fronts in Raigad district since August 27.

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Out of the 44 packets, 11 were spotted at Shrivardhan Kondivali beach by local people while 33 packets were found washed up at Diva Agar beach at Dighi Sagari, following which police were alerted, the official said.

These packets are labelled as 'Afghan Product', he said, adding that police had seized the contraband.

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Notably, police recovered 9 packets of charas from Shrivardhan Jivana beach on Sunday and 54 others from Dighi Sagari and Shrivardhan Maral beaches on Monday, weighing more than 62 kg, the official added.

The official said police have launched a search operation to find out whether more such packets have washed up on beaches in Raigad district.

A case has been registered at Shrivardhan police station.

Police have appealed to people to inform them if they spot more such packets. The official said cases will be filed if anybody is found hiding the contraband.

Further investigation is underway.

Notably, the Customs department had seized more than 250 kg of hashish washed up on seven beaches in Ratnagiri district nearly a fortnight ago, officials had said.

The contraband was seized between August 14 and August 19 from Karde, Ladghar, Kelshi, Kolthare, Murud, Burondi and Borya beaches and Dabhol creek.

The Customs department suspects that the contraband, which originated from Afghanistan and Pakistan, had either fallen or was dumped by foreign vessels for smuggling.

(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)