Report

Late Friday night, Noida Police stopped a Mahindra pickup in Sector 63 after receiving a tip-off. They found 14 quintals of adulterated paneer in the truck and arrested the driver, 32-year-old Gulfam from Shajapur village in Aligarh. During questioning, Gulfam revealed the location of a production unit in Sahajpura village. Police raided the site and arrested three others: Guddu alias Rish (36), who ran the plant, and distributors Ikhlaq (30) and Naved (20). All four accused come from Aligarh.

Racketeers Used Beans, Milk Powder, and Chemicals to Fake Paneer

The accused boiled starch-heavy beans labelled “Red Bull Sortex Clean” and added poster colours, chemical whiteners, and a blue compound to create a paneer-like texture. In another batch, they mixed milk powder with water or a liquid called “saprota,” stirred in palm oil, and added chemicals to solidify the product into paneer-like blocks.

The gang sold the fake paneer to street vendors and small eateries in Delhi and Noida for ₹180–₹220 per kg, nearly half the price of real paneer. Police confirmed that the racket had been operating for six months. They registered a case under Sections 274, 275, and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and continue to track down vendors involved.

Food Safety Officers Warn of Serious Health Risks

Food safety officials inspected the plant and identified the ingredients as hazardous. They collected samples for lab testing and plan to take action under the Food Safety and Standards Act. Officials also advised consumers to test paneer using iodine tincture — real paneer shows no reaction, while starch-based fake paneer turns black. Police released videos showing blocks of fake paneer wrapped in cloth, sacks of powder, drums of oil, and machinery used for production. “The accused deceived shopkeepers by passing off the adulterated product as real paneer,” police said in a statement.

Source: The Indian Express