Mumbai: Adulterated ghee floods the market

Representation Pic

Branded ghee sellers are losing all credibility as numerical adulteration cases are crop up in the city. The Mumbai Crime Branch (CB Control EOW) has busted an adulteration racket where fake ghee of well-known brands like Amul, Krishna, and Sagar was being manufactured and sold in key market areas.

The police have arrested two accused in the case, further investigations to establish the chain of supply is still underway. The racket is not on a small scale, in fact officials have seized around 780 litres of adulterated ghee along with other packing materials. The investigation is a collaborative effort by FDA officials as well. According to the police, the officials of CB control received a reliable tip off of the location of the adulteration racket, which fell under the jurisdiction of the LT Marg Police Station.

After verifying this information, FDA officers and representatives from the Amul were called in to assist. The accused were caught red-handed while mixing palm oil, vanaspati, butter colour, and flavour to produce fake ghee branded as Amul, Krishna, and Sagar. The FDA officers prepared a panchnama in the presence of independent witnesses. The team arrested three accused from the spot identified as Chaman Shamu Yadav, 40 a resident of Jogeshwari and Jhaman Shamu Yadav, 55, a resident of Jogeshwari. A case has been registered against the two at LT Marg police station. under Sections 272, 273, 420, 34 of the Indian penal code and Sections 26(2) V, 26(2) iii, 27(1), 27(3)(e), 31(1), 63 of the Food Safety and Standard Act and Sections 3, 7, 9 of the ECA Act and Sections 51, 63 of the Copyright Act.

Nitin Patil, senior police inspector, CB control of crime branch said they have arrested the two accused and have seized 780 litres and a total value of seized material around Rs 1,20,540. "The accused have been handed over to the LT Marg Police Station for further investigation," said Patil. Patil further added that the accused was using oil and dalda ghee to make the ghee. "The packet comes for R650 and he used to give concessions to the shop owners so they used to buy from him and sell at a good margin," added Patil.