Pune: Two Arrested as Kondhwa Police Seize Gutkha and Other Articles Worth Rs 12.40 Lakh

Pune, 4th September 2026: Kondhwa Police arrested two men and seized prohibited gutkha, tobacco products, cash, mobile phones and a goods carrier collectively valued at ₹12,40,584 during an operation in the Saibaba Nagar area on Friday.

The arrested accused were identified as Lavkush Vimlesh Yadav, 26, a resident of Khopde Nagar in Katraj and a native of Bakhrawara in Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli district, and Guddu Kailash Gautam, 29, also a resident of Khopde Nagar and a native of Visnathganj village in Dalmau tehsil of Raebareli district.

According to police, an investigation team was patrolling within the jurisdiction of Kondhwa Police Station when Police Havaldar Amol Hirve received information from a confidential informant that prohibited gutkha would be transported to Saibaba Nagar for sale in a goods carrier.

Acting on the information, the police team reached Saibaba Nagar and began searching for the vehicle. The goods carrier was intercepted on a public road near Shalimar Hill Park Society, opposite Hanokada Sales, in Kondhwa Khurd.

Providing details of the operation, Senior Police Inspector Santosh Khetmalas said, “Our team intercepted the goods carrier on the basis of specific information. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of Vimal pan masala, V1 Big Tobacco and V1 Tobacco, which are prohibited for sale in Maharashtra.”

Police said Yadav was driving the vehicle, while Gautam was accompanying him. During questioning, the two allegedly disclosed that they had obtained the prohibited products from Sagar Luniya and Dinesh Luniya, both residents of Khopde Nagar in Katraj.

“The seized articles include prohibited pan masala and tobacco products valued at ₹6,78,084, ₹12,500 in cash, two mobile phones worth ₹30,000 and the goods carrier valued at ₹5.20 lakh. The total value of the seizure is ₹12,40,584,” Inspector Khetmalas said.

A case, numbered 688/2026, has been registered at Kondhwa Police Station under Sections 123, 223, 274, 275 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Relevant provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, have also been invoked.

Yadav and Gautam were arrested and remanded in police custody. Police have launched a search for Sagar Luniya and Dinesh Luniya, who are wanted in connection with the case.

“Further investigation is underway to determine the source of the prohibited products, their intended distribution network and whether more people were involved. Teams are also searching for the two wanted accused,” Inspector Khetmalas added.

Police Sub-Inspector Ravindra Gawade is investigating the case.

The operation was conducted under the guidance of Additional Commissioner of Police for the Eastern Regional Division Manoj Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police for Zone 5 Rajalakshmi Shivankar, and Assistant Commissioner of Police for the Wanawadi Division Ramdas Ingle.

Senior Police Inspector Santosh Khetmalas, Police Inspector (Crime) Prashant Mandale and Police Inspector (Crime) Santosh Chaudhary supervised the operation.

The police team comprised Police Sub-Inspectors Ravindra Gawade and Sagar Pawar, Police Havaldars Amol Hirve and Ravindra Chippa, and police personnel Keshav Hirve, Rahul Rasage, Amit Suryavanshi, Riyaz Patel, Ravi Jadhav, Pushpendra Chavan, Santosh Bansode, Suraj Shukla, Prashant Khade, Rashid Sheikh, Shahid Rajput, Shelar and Omkar Shete.