Suspecting illegal trade of supari, a joint team of police and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials seized 29 tonnes of supari worth approximately Rs 1.11 crore on Friday during a raid at Arihant Cold Storage in Aawandi under the New Kamptee police station limits. The action was carried out on Friday following specific intelligence received by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 6). The raid, which lasted whole day, resulted in the seizure of around 580 sacks of supari stored at the facility. According to officials, the seized stock weighed about 29,000 kg. Based on the prevailing market rate of Rs 383 per kg,

 

its estimated value has been calculated at Rs 1,11,07,000. The entire consignment has been seized and sealed pending further investigation. The operation was conducted jointly by New Kamptee Police, Kapil Nagar Police Station and the FDA, Nagpur, under the guidance of senior police officials. FDA officers Ravita Laghate, Medha Phalke, Akhilesh Rawat and Rahul Khandagale participated in the operation. Samples of the seized supari have been collected and sent for examination. Until the test reports are received, the stock will remain sealed at the cold storage facility. Officials said the investigation is continuing to ascertain the source, documentation and legality of the seized consignment. No arrests had been reported at the time of filing this report.