Gutka now freely available in Chennai

CHENNAI: Several essential commodities may still be absent in city shops despite the easing of some lockdown norms, but gutka and a few other tobacco products, banned across Tamil Nadu since 2008, are freely available. A sachet of gutka and pan masala is sold at anything between 50 and 75 against the marked price of 10.
One could get these products, though at a premium, even when the lockdown was strictly enforced.
Police on Tuesday arrested two people for smuggling into the city the banned products from Hyderabad and seized at least 20kg of gutka and other tobacco products at a transport office in the Elephant Gate area. Based on a specific tip, a team of police personnel raided the office and found the tobacco products in a bundle.
As the police team members rounded up the place, two men who were sitting beside the consignment guarding it tried to flee. But, police nabbed Stalin Joseph, 42, a resident of Elephant Gate, and S Syed Aarif, 41, a native of Hyderabad.
Inquiries revealed that the two accused travelled to the city by train after sending the consignment in a truck. During questioning, they didn't reveal the place from where they sourced the tobacco products and their final destination. Police said that the two men were agents who smuggle in the illegal consignments and distribute them to retail traders.