Duplicate Tobacco of over Five Lakhs Seized by Parala Police in Gajapati
Odishabarta
Paralakhemundi- Paralakhemundi police raided a truck loaded 99 bags of tobacco at Ranipentha junction at the outskirts of Paralakhemundi town. From Brahmapur those tobacco pouches were about to be transported. While interacted with truck driver no owner of such transportation found. Rather while contacted with owner of tobacco brand, they conformed that in their original cover duplicate tobacco inserted which would have costed around Rs. 5 lakhs.So no one found behind such transportation of ownership of tobacco,those involved named Rajesh Patra who is the kingpin behind transportation of duplicate tobacco.
According to Prashant Bhupati,IIC,Paralakhemundi Model Police station,That on Thurssday the Complainant Ritesh Kumar Das Adhikary aged- 38 years of Raruan, PS-Raruan, Dist.-Mayurbhanj appeared at PS and presented a written report to the effect that he is businessman and managing partner of M/s. Shree Udyog and his mother Smt. Minati Das Adhikary is the Proprietorcum-owner of the Company having Trademark Licence No. 862287/1999, Central Excise Customs and Service Tax Regd. No AENPD1952MEM002, GIST No. 21AENPD1952M2Z1. That they are the authorized manufacturer of “ROCKET” Royal Tobacco Khaini product having their business distribution all over Odisha. That since last three months, he has been receiving information from the distributors of Berhampur, Ganjam and Gajapati district that their product is being duplicated having their manufacture unit by some persons in Berhampur and circulating the same in the markets all over south Odisha.
On the strength of the information received by one of his staff over the phone that, Paralakhemundi Police has seized a truck bearing regd. no OD-07-Y-2899 loaded and transporting 99 plastic bags of “ROCKET” Royal Tobacco Khaini on 02-Nov-2023 which is never sent by them, and it is also duplicate, spurious.
When he enquired into the matter from the local shops the duplicate Rocket Khaini is manufactured by Rajeswar Patra, and he suspected his brother Koteswar Patra is trading and distributing causing serious business loss to their company causing loss of revenue to the State Exchequer for their illegal gain. Being authorized by their Firm, personally proceeded to Berhampur and Paralakhemundi for verification.
He purchased the same duplicate product from the local market of Paralakhemundi and found that the colour of the inner pouch is green instead of red whereas the colour of their genuine packet is almost copied with low quality of polythene and tobacco (Khaini) inside further they have also used low quality polyethylene packets forging their GST, Trademark, and brand name.
The same duplicate product is mismatched and non-branded and hazardous to human health thereby cheating the common public. Further he came to know that the entire racket expanded till Rayagada, Gunpur from Berhampur. In this duplicate business, many other persons including the truck driver/owner and transporter company are also involved.Hence,he reported the matter at PStaking appropriate legal action.
