Mumbai: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Central Railway's Mumbai Division seized nearly two tonnes of illegal gutkha and pan masala from the Ballia-Dadar Express on Saturday, August 3, at Dadar railway station. The seized consignment, weighing approximately 1892.2 kg, is valued at Rs 6.64 lakh.
Consignment Included Banned Tobacco-Based Products
According to an official, the illegal haul was discovered after Train No. 01026 UP Ballia Express arrived at Dadar station around 7:45 am. According to officials, two batches of parcels — 9 parcels under RR No. 2023624705 and 20 parcels under RR No. 2023623789 — were unloaded onto Platforms 13 and 14 under the supervision of on-duty parcel clerk Uday Khare.
RPF Action Led by Constable Sohanlal Jatav and Inspector Meena
Six hours later, at around 2:00 pm, RPF Head Constable Sohanlal Jatav detected a strong smell of pan masala and tobacco emanating from the unattended parcels. Suspecting foul play, he alerted the RPF Inspector at Dadar, who arrived at the scene with Sub-Inspector Narsingh Meena and his team to initiate an inspection.
"Despite waiting for a significant period, no one came forward to claim the goods. The parcels were subsequently moved to the Dadar Parcel Office with the help of porters. Officials from the Central Intelligence Branch (CIB), Kurla, were also called in to assist in the investigation" official stated.
In the presence of two independent witnesses, all 29 parcels were opened and found to contain banned substances, including URP chewing tobacco, Kesar-mixed Pukar pan masala, Varanasi Ashiq supari, and other prohibited tobacco-based products, weighing around 1892.2 kg.
The items were sealed and confiscated under an official seizure memo. On August 4, the seized goods were formally handed over to the Government Railway Police (GRP) at Dadar for further legal proceedings.
GRP Dadar Registers FIR Under BNS and Food Safety Act
Based on a written complaint from Senior Parcel Clerk Prayag Sharad Kale, the GRP has registered an FIR against unknown individuals. The case has been booked under Sections 223 and 275 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 — pertaining to disobedience of a public servant's order and the sale of harmful food products, respectively.
Charges have also been framed under Sections 30(2)(a) and 59 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which deal with the manufacture, storage, and distribution of unsafe food items.
Investigation Underway to Trace Source of Illicit Goods
The investigation is currently underway, led by Head Constable Datta Shivajirao Bhise of the GRP (Government Railway Police) Dadar. Authorities suspect the involvement of a larger network behind the transportation of the banned products and are pursuing leads to trace the source and destination of the illicit consignment.
