Hyderabad police bust major food adulteration racket in Sanathnagar

Hyderabad Police have busted food adulteration gangs supplying substandard tea powder and ginger-garlic paste in city markets. Harmful chemicals were seized during raids. Citizens are demanding strict action as concerns grow over food safety and public health risks.

Hyderabad: Adulterated groceries are increasingly becoming a threat to the citizens as organised gangs are eyeing the city markets to pump in sub-standard grocery items, as recent raids at a few places point out.

Last week, the Hyderabad Commissioner’s Task Force team raided a house at Sanathnagar and seized 120 kg of coloured tea powder, 30 kg of natural tea powder, 138 kg of cocopeat mix, food colours, jaggery, a weighing machine, a gas cylinder and packing materials.

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According to the police, a businessman, Jagannath Bishnoi, was allegedly adulterating tea powder with harmful substances at a house in Fatehnagar, Sanathnagar. A kg of the adulterated powder was a mixture of 450 grams of low-grade tea dust, 500 grams of low-grade tea granules and 50 grams of colour-treated cocopeat.

Several organised gangs, owing to the huge demand for tea powder in the city, are adulterating stuff to small hotels and retail shops at a lower price.

“Use of harmful chemicals is a risk to health. In recent days, we have intensified raids on the gangs indulging in adulteration of food. The drive will continue and cases booked against them,” said DCP Task Force, Gaikwad Vaibhav Raghunath.

In another raid, on Saturday, a Task Force team conducted raids on a ginger garlic paste units SK Royal Enterprises, and Shahi Gold companies located at Jalpally, Pahadishareef and nabbed four persons – Abdul Sattar, Mohd Ismail, Mohd Ifteqar and Noor Nabi.

“The gang was illegally preparing garlic-ginger paste and supplying the low-quality product in the market,” said Additional DCP Iqbal Siddiqui.

The police crackdown on the food adulteration gangs is raising concerns over food safety in the city and citizens are demanding a rigorous crackdown. “Such things cannot be allowed to happen. Nobody has the right to kill us indirectly by poisoning. Much more needs to be done to put a permanent end to the menace,” said Vishnu Priya, software professional.

Afsar Jahan, High Court senior advocate, said the police should bookcases under stringent laws against those engaging in adulteration of food items. “Unless long-term convictions are ensured for the culprits, they will continue with their activities. After registration of cases, the police should conduct a full-fledged investigation and submit all evidence in court to ensure conviction of the guilty,” she demanded.

The City Police have in the past seized huge stocks of inferior quality coconut oil, soaps, shampoos, detergent powder and other products being pumped into the market by organised gangs.