Report

The Rachakonda Police, Telangana, booked 46 cases and arrested 52 people on July 2 during a special drive or a food scam targeting unauthorised and unhygienic food manufacturing units. Special Operations Teams I and II, along with Law and Order officers and Armed Reserve forces, carried out coordinated raids across the commissionerate. Acting on Commissioner of Police G. Sudheer Babu’s instructions, the teams targeted multiple units in the LB Nagar, Maheshwaram, Malkajgiri, and Bhongir zones.

Grim Findings During Inspections

Officers discovered many units operating without Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licences or trade licences. They found expired raw materials, banned synthetic food colours, and widespread violations of basic hygiene standards. Several units had even illegally employed children. Some manufacturers sold products without manufacturing or expiry dates, and many packaged adulterated items under counterfeit labels of well-known brands.

Seizures and Charges

In LB Nagar, police booked 11 cases and seized 575 litres of adulterated ghee. In Maheshwaram, they registered 8 cases and confiscated 3,946 kilograms of adulterated ginger-garlic paste. In Malkajgiri, officers booked 9 cases and seized 3,037 kilograms of adulterated ginger-garlic paste, along with immunity-boosting tablets and powders valued at ₹10 lakh. In Bhongir, police booked 18 cases, seizing 35 kilograms of adulterated paneer and around 250 kilograms of adulterated snack mixtures.

During the raids, officials also found adulterated milk, turmeric powder, coriander powder, sweets, biscuits, bakery products, ice creams, and mineral water. Commissioner Sudheer Babu confirmed that these products had been distributed across the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits. One of the raided units was producing so-called immunity-boosting tablets and powders without proper authorisation.

Public Alert Issued

The Rachakonda Police urged residents to carefully check manufacturing and expiry dates before purchasing food products. They asked the public to report any unlicensed or unhygienic food production units by calling or sending a WhatsApp message to 8712662666. Police are continuing their investigation to trace the wider distribution network.

Source: The Hindu