Maha: 2 held for smuggling black jaggery in Thane

Police have arrested two persons for allegedly smuggling over 500 kg of black jaggery in Thane in Maharashtra, an official said on Monday.

Black jaggery is used for illegally making country-made liquor, he said.

Acting on a tip-off, a police team on Saturday nabbed the two persons, Rohidas Patil (48) and Santosh Thombre (35), both residents of Kongaon in Bhiwandi town here, while they were driving tempos separately near a mall in Kalyan township here, Kalyan crime branch's (unit III) senior police inspector Manohar Patil said.

The police seized from them 522 kg of black jaggery and 2,181 kg of a "sugar-like white powder" collectively worth Rs 87,510, he said, adding that their vehicles were also impounded.

An offence was registered against the duo under provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act and they were produced before a court which remanded them in police custody till Tuesday, the official said.