FDA busts major milk adulteration racket in Navi Mumbai

The Maharashtra FDA busted a milk adulteration racket in Navi Mumbai’s Mahape MIDC, seizing and destroying 4,710 litres of adulterated and suspect milk worth Rs 1.85 lakh. Officials also seized paneer, skimmed milk powder and cream and booked 15 individuals and entities

Thane: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has busted a major milk adulteration racket operating out of the Mahape MIDC area in Navi Mumbai, seizing and destroying adulterated dairy products worth lakhs of rupees, officials said.

According to an official release by the Thane district administration here on Monday, a special FDA squad raided M/s P.K. Dairy on August 19 following confidential intelligence. During the raid, officials caught accused Shivendra Shyamlal Jaiswal while diluting milk inside a tanker with a mixture of skimmed milk powder (SMP) and chilled water in collusion with dairy owner Pradeep Kamlesh Yadav.

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“One kg of skimmed milk powder was mixed with 8 to 10 litres of chilled water using a plunger to adulterate the milk,’ which was then supplied as pure cow or buffalo milk to several dairies across Thane, Airoli, Kopri, Digha, and Ghansoli,” according to the release.

Authorities immediately shut down the dairy for operating without a valid food safety license. Across multiple raided establishments, officials seized and destroyed 4,710 litres of adulterated and suspect milk valued at Rs 1,85,780 to protect public health.

Additionally, FDA teams confiscated 129.5 kg of paneer, 473 kg of skimmed milk powder, and 88.4 kg of cream. An FIR was registered at Turbhe police station on August 22 against 15 individuals and entities involved in the racket, including owners of two dairies and various recipient vendor outlets. The process to cancel the food licenses of all implicated establishments has been initiated.