Maharashtra FDA seizes banned tobacco and suspect oil worth ₹4.78 crore
Food safety officials in Maharashtra have seized banned gutkha and tobacco products, two trucks and nearly 2.49 lakh kilograms of refined soyabean oil in separate operations. The agency said the oil was held by a business suspected of operating without a valid licence and storing substandard stock.
Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration has seized goods and vehicles valued at nearly ₹4.78 crore in two operations in Palghar-Thane and Buldhana districts. The action on September 28 involved banned gutkha, pan masala and scented tobacco products, as well as a large quantity of refined soyabean oil suspected of being substandard. The FDA said the seizures were made during separate operations.
In the first operation, officials intercepted two trucks believed to be carrying banned products from Palghar towards Bhiwandi. The first truck was stopped after crossing Charoti Toll Plaza at 7.04 a.m., and the driver was taken into custody. The FDA said the driver of the second truck turned around at Achad Naka after the first interception and fled towards Gujarat.
Officials received information that it might try to reach Bhiwandi through the Nashik-Kasara route. A team later stopped the vehicle within Kasara police limits at about 12.45 p.m. The agency valued the seized tobacco products at ₹85.64 lakh and the two Eicher trucks at ₹41 lakh, putting the combined value at ₹1.26 crore.
It also said two allegedly fake number plates were recovered from the second truck. Separate cases were registered at Kasa and Kasara police stations. In Buldhana, officials seized about 2,48,845.4 kilograms of refined soyabean oil from M/s Am Oels Private Limited in the Khamgaon MIDC industrial area.
The stock was valued at approximately ₹3.51 crore. The FDA said the business was suspected of operating without a valid licence and holding oil of substandard quality. Samples were sent for laboratory analysis, while action over the alleged licensing violation was initiated under food safety laws.
Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said the state would continue acting against businesses involved with banned, unlicensed or substandard food products.
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