CHENNAI: Around 750 people were rounded up and 722 cases were registered in one of the biggest crackdowns on traders dealing in banned tobacco products on Saturday.A day after DMK working president M K Stain raked up the issue in the assembly, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami directed the police to crack down on Gutka sellers in the city.The raids have also helped the city police unearth black money from a maava and Gutka seller in Vepery. Police said Prajesh Kumar Tiwari, a resident of V V Koil Street in Choolai, had been supplying banned tobacco products. During the raid at his house, police seized Rs 50 lakh in cash, 400 grams of gold and 120kg of maava and 60kg of zarda (chewable flavoured tobacco). The cash seized was in denominations of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500. However, Tiwari, who sensed trouble and might have predicted a raid, gave police the slip. Police have launched a hunt for the man. The city police have informed income tax officials about the seized currency and gold. I-T sleuths are expected to take over the case and pursue it.The city police have also seized Rs 1.7 lakh and confiscated maava and Gutka worth Rs 10.4 lakh across other locations. They have started a campaign across the city to ensure that banned tobacco products are not sold at kiosks and shops. "It is not the first time that a raid is being conducted against banned tobacco products. But the present action is on larger scale. Almost 75% of the city police strength has been mobilised for the crackdown," a senior police officer said.The raid on Gutka and maava sales will continue in the coming days, another police officer said. "In the past two months, we have seized banned tobacco products worth more than Rs 1.5 crore and arrested almost 1,000 people during surprise raids," the officer said.

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