A merchant held in Vellore for selling gutka

Gudiyatham town police in Vellore on Tuesday arrested a 73-year-old shopkeeper for possessing 50 kg of gutka in a shop.

Police said the arrested shopkeeper was identified as R. Venkatesan, a resident of Gudiyatham. Initial investigation revealed that he was running a grocery shop in Vasantham Nagar in the city.

Police said that on the orders of Superintendent of Police NU Sivaraman, a special team conducted a surprise check at food shops in the city when the team found a huge quantity of gutka stored in a food shop run by Venkatesan.

Police said the trader brought gutka from agents from Chittoor to sell it at a retail shop in the city at a higher price. A case has been registered. A probe is underway.

Published – 20 October 2026 18:19 IST