Hyderabad police bust tea adulteration racket
HYDERABAD: The Commissioner’s Task Force (West Zone), along with Sanathnagar police station officials, arrested a man for adulterating tea powder using synthetic chemicals in Sanathnagar limits.
The accused, Jagannath Bishnoi, 33, a tea trader from H.No. 10-2-2, Fathenagar, Hyderabad, was taken into custody following a raid on a premises based on credible information.
Adulteration method revealed during inquiry
During inquiry, Bishnoi admitted to preparing adulterated tea powder for illegal profits. He purchased cocopeat (coconut fibre powder), removed waste from it and mixed it with heated jaggery water. The mixture was dried for two to three days.
He then added synthetic food colours such as ‘Sunset Yellow’ and ‘Tartrazine Orange’. After drying the coloured mixture again, he used it in the adulteration process.
To prepare one kilogram of adulterated tea powder, the accused mixed 450 grams of low-quality tea dust, 500 grams of low-quality tea granules and 50 grams of coloured cocopeat.
Police said he sold the adulterated product to local tea stalls and other dealers at high prices by passing it off as genuine tea powder.
Materials seized during raid
Police seized the following items:
Adulterated tea powder: 120 kg
Genuine tea powder: 30 kg
Cocopeat mixture: 138 kg
Weighing machine: one
Sunset Yellow colour: 800 grams
Tartrazine colour: 700 grams
Domestic gas cylinder: one
Handles: three
Beaker: one
Jaggery boxes: 12 (500 grams each)
Carry bag bundles: 10 kg
The raid was conducted by West Zone Task Force Inspector Ch. Yadender, Sub-Inspector D. Raviraj and team members, along with Banjara Hills police.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Commissioner’s Task Force, Hyderabad, Vaibhav Raghunath Gaikwad, IPS, issued the statement.
Public advisory
Police urged citizens to purchase tea powder only from recognised vendors. They asked people to report any suspicion related to food adulteration to authorities.
Officials warned that strict legal action and criminal cases will be registered against those involved in food adulteration, which endangers public health.
