Huge cache of fake tobacco products seized on Bhubaneswar outskirts; 2 held

Bhubaneswar:  The Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Crime Branch seized a huge cache of spurious tobacco products, including cigarettes from two separate places on the city outskirts yesterday.

On the basis of intelligence input, separate teams of STF conducted raids at different places in Bhubaneswar and its periphery area to crackdown illegal storage, manufacture and selling of spurious tobacco items.

During the raid, heavy quantity of duplicate tobacco materials were seized from the possession of one Pabitra Kumar Prasad alias Babu of Badatota under Jatni police limits.  A case under Sections 417, 420, 482, 483 of the IPC r/w  63/65 of Copyright Act, 1957, Sections 103 and  104 of Trademark Act, 1999 and  Section 20 of Cotpa Act, 2003 has been registered and investigated is underway.

Similarly, a huge quantity of several tobacco products were recovered from the possession of one Laxmidhar Sahoo of Bhakarsahi village under Balipatna police station. A case has been registered at Balipatna police station for necessary legal action.

In both the cases, the STF seized nearly two quintals of chewable tobaccos and 248 bundles of cigarette packets, said a statement issued by the STF.