Hyderabad: Police on Saturday, March 6, seized 1,915 kg of adulterated ginger-garlic paste in Hyderabad and arrested four people, including a woman for the crime.
The raid was jointly conducted by the Commissioner’s Task Force, Secunderabad Zone and the Lallaguda Police at Jhansi Ginger Garlic Paste godown in Lalapet.
The accused were identified as Neela Venkateswaralu, 56, the owner of the godown and resident of Lallaguda, K Vinod, 46, supervisor of the godown and resident of Shantinagar Lalaguda; T Satish, 23, an employee of the godown and resident of North Lallaguda, and M Srivani, 46, an employee of the godown and resident of Malkajgiri.
A total of 1,915 kg of ginger and garlic paste was seized from the premises, along with 30 kg of acetic acid, 10 kg of xanthan gum, 80 kg of raw ginger and garlic, four date stamps, 86 “Jansi-M” branded labels, two packing machines, a grinder and a weighing machine. Over 800 kg of paste was found stored in bulk tubs without any packaging or labelling.
Police said the accused were mixing acetic acid into the ginger-garlic paste in unhygienic conditions, storing it in plastic tubs for extended periods and then packing it in containers of various sizes ranging from 175 grams to 5 kg under fake brand labels. The products were being sold to general and kirana stores across the city for profit.
The accused were booked under sections 318(4) (cheating) and 275 (sale of harmful food), 223 (disobedience to order) read with 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanahita (BNS).
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