Hyderabad police seize adulterated ginger-garlic paste worth ₹2.2 lakh
HYDERABAD: Hyderabad Police arrested a man for allegedly manufacturing and supplying adulterated ginger garlic paste from an illegal unit in the city.
Task force raid exposes adulterated paste manufacturing unit
Officials of the Hyderabad Commissioner’s Task Force (Khairatabad Zone Team) conducted a raid near Gattal Masjid at Afzal Sagar in Mallepally under the Habibnagar police station limits. During the inspection, police detained Mohammed Farooq, 50, a resident of Aghapura and owner of Shehzada Food Master located at No. 11-1-1162.
Police said the accused was preparing ginger-garlic paste in highly unhygienic conditions.
Chemicals used to prepare paste, licence expired in 2018
During the inspection, officials found Farooq allegedly mixing acetic acid, synthetic food colours, gum powder and salt while producing the paste in plastic containers. The paste was stored in open plastic tubs exposed to dust, flies and other contaminants, making it unsafe for human consumption.
Police said the accused supplied the adulterated paste to wholesale grocery shops and food catering services in and around Hyderabad and earned illegal profits.
Officials also found that the unit’s Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licence (No. 13617011001223) had expired on September 7, 2018.
Police seized the adulterated products and raw materials from the premises.
Police seize adulterated paste worth ₹2,20,000
Police seized materials worth ₹2,20,000, including:
1,090 kg adulterated ginger-garlic paste stored in boxes and drums
875 kg unclean raw ginger and garlic stocks
Chemicals used in preparation, including starch powder, salt bags, gum powder, synthetic food colour and acetic acid
One Oppo F21s Pro 5G mobile phone
Two grinding machines
During preliminary inquiry, police found that Farooq had been manufacturing adulterated paste and supplying it in large quantities to restaurants and wholesale and retail shops across Hyderabad.
The accused, along with the seized material, was handed over to the Habibnagar police station station house officer for further investigation.
The operation was carried out by Task Force inspector P. Raghavender, sub-inspectors G. Srikanth and K. Shivakumar, and other personnel.
The information was released by Ande Srinivas Rao, additional deputy commissioner of police, Commissioner’s Task Force, Hyderabad City.
