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Fake pan masala unit unearthed

- Photo: Lingaraj Panda

Police display some of the fake pan masala poaches seized during the raid in Berhampur on Thursday.

BERHAMPUR: City police unearthed a fake pan masala and bidi manufacturing unit while raiding an illegal cracker making unit. Three persons involved in this racket were arrested.

Police had received information that crackers were being manufactured illegally without license at a house at Kansari Street at Panigrahypentha area of the city. The Berhampur Superintendent of Police (SP), Nitinjit Singh ordered a police team from Badabazar police station to conduct a raid on this unit.

The raid started at wee hours of Thursday and continued for more than five hours.

During the raid large amount of explosive chemicals were seized from the illegal cracker making unit. The seized chemicals included over 35 kilograms of sulphur, soda ash, urea etc used to make crackers as well as explosives. Three persons Bishnu Prasad Sahu, Sanyasi Sahu and Sadashiv Sahu, who were operating this illegal unit, were arrested.

When the police team made a thorough search of the illegal cracker making unit they were astonished to find that the same building was also being used to manufacture fake pana masala and bidi of some reputed brands. Initial interrogation of the arrested persons has revealed that manufacturing fake bidi and pan masala was their original business. They had expanded their operation by getting into manufacturing of crackers just before Diwali.

It may be noted that Berhampur, the major trading centre of south Orissa is always alleged to be a major centre of fake goods.

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