Police Bust Suspected Illegal Gutka Network ;

Tobacco products worth ₹45 lakh, two mini trucks, cash and manufacturing equipment seized; three booked.

Dillip Kumar Pattnaik

KHORDHA, SEPTEMBER 22: A suspected illegal tobacco manufacturing, packaging and distribution network operating between Khordha and Berhampur has come under the scanner following a major raid by Khordha Sadar Police, which led to the seizure of gutka and other tobacco products valued at around ₹45 lakh, two mini trucks, ₹2.94 lakh in cash, chemical raw materials and machinery.
The operation, according to police, began with the interception of a mini truck near Tapang Chhaka in Khordha on September 21 and subsequently expanded to a premises at Baunsapali in Berhampur, where a substantial quantity of tobacco products and materials allegedly linked to their processing and packaging were recovered.
Police have registered Khordha Sadar Police Station Case No. 463, dated September 21, 2026, under Sections 303(2), 274 and 275 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), read with Section 7 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA).

According to Khordha Superintendent of Police Parmar Smit Parshottamdas, the breakthrough came when ASI Chandraamani Sahoo and other personnel of Khordha Sadar Police were conducting day patrolling. At around 2.25 pm, police reportedly received information that tobacco products were being transported without the requisite licence or permit.
Acting on the information, police intercepted a mini truck bearing registration number OD-07-BA-6117 near Tapang Chhaka. During the search, the vehicle was allegedly found carrying 600 white jari sacks, each containing 30 packets of tobacco products.
The driver, identified as Santosh Kumar Rana, 28, a resident of the Jagannath Prasad police station area of Ganjam district, was detained for questioning.
Police said the subsequent interrogation and investigation led the team to a premises at Baunsapali in Berhampur. With the assistance of local police, a raid was conducted at the location, where another 200 white jari sacks containing similar tobacco packets were allegedly recovered.

A second mini truck, bearing registration number OD-07-AH-3078, was also found at the premises. Police alleged that the vehicle was loaded with another 200 sacks containing similar tobacco products.
The raid also resulted in the recovery of ₹2.94 lakh in cash and chemical and other raw materials estimated to be worth around ₹50,000.
Two persons found at the premises were identified as Deepak Kumar Sahoo, 26, and Harihar Sahu, 39. Police said their alleged roles in the operation were being examined as part of the investigation.
In all, police reported the seizure of 1,000 jari sacks, each containing 30 packets of gutka or other tobacco products, with the total value estimated at approximately ₹45 lakh.

Apart from the tobacco products, the police seized the two mini trucks, raw materials and three stitching machines, valued at around ₹30,000.
The recovery of chemical materials and machinery has widened the scope of the investigation. Police are examining whether the Berhampur premises were being used merely as a storage and distribution point or whether tobacco products were also being processed, packaged or manufactured there.
Investigators are now focusing on the alleged supply chain, including the source of the raw materials, procurement of tobacco products, packaging arrangements, transportation routes and intended destinations of the consignments.
The seizure of two vehicles has also prompted police to examine whether they had allegedly been used for transporting similar consignments between Berhampur and Khordha and whether such movements had taken place earlier.
The cash recovered from the premises is also being examined to determine its alleged connection with the suspected tobacco trade and to establish the financial transactions associated with the operation.
The case assumes significance because what began as the interception of a single vehicle allegedly carrying tobacco products led investigators to another premises containing substantial stocks, raw materials, machinery and cash. Police are now probing whether the seizure represents an isolated consignment or forms part of a wider distribution network.
However, investigators are yet to establish the complete extent of the alleged network and whether any other persons were involved. Police are also examining the ownership and actual use of the Baunsapali premises and the source and destination of the seized tobacco products.
The three persons named in connection with the case are Santosh Kumar Rana (28), Deepak Kumar Sahoo (26) and Harihar Sahu (39).
Police said further investigation would focus on identifying the source of the products and raw materials, tracing the alleged distribution chain, examining the financial transactions and determining the specific role of each person associated with the premises and the seized vehicles.
The raid was conducted under the supervision of Khordha SP Parmar Smit Parshottamdas, SDPO Pankaj Kumar Majhi and IIC, Khordha Sadar Police Station, Basudev Jayasingh.
Further investigation is underway.