Over 1,475 kg banned tobacco products worth ₹57 lakh were seized by the Hyderabad Commissioner’s Task Force (East Zone) team on Thursday, and one person was arrested.

Acting on a tip-off, the team along with Afzalgunj police raided a godown at New Osmangunj and found huge quantities of various tobacco products. They apprehended D. Chinna Nagaraju of Bandi Metta from Kurnool district, AP.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday to divulge details about the raid, Commissioner of Police Anjani Kumar said that for the last four decades, Nagaraju’s family was into procurement and sale of tobacco products. He was also a wholesale supplier of beedis.

In 2017, when Nagaraju visited Delhi, he came in contact with one Naresh from Chandni Chowk, a wholesale supplier of tobacco products. Accordingly, the accused started placing orders to Naresh, and when the State government prohibited the sale and transportation of chewing tobacco products, he took a godown on rent to hide his products and continued the supply, Mr. Kumar added.