Delhi Police Uncover Expired Food Repackaging Racket in Dwarka

Delhi Police have dismantled a dangerous expired food repackaging operation in Dwarka, arresting three individuals involved in altering expiry dates on popular food and beverage brands, raising serious food safety concerns.

Police have busted a racket of repackaging and circulating expired food and beverage products in Dwarka, arresting three men and seizing a large consignment of items of multinational brands with forged manufacturing and expiry dates, an official said on Friday.

Police said they have recovered 3,096 cans of soft drinks of different brands and a large quantity of biscuits of known brands with altered packaging and stickers.

The accused have been identified as Kamal Mudgil (56), Shivam Singh (27) and Lokesh Kumar (35). The operation was carried out by the crime branch, Delhi Police said in a statement.

"On March 29, information was received that some people were running an illegal setup in the Bamnoli village of Dwarka, where expired or near-expiry food and beverage items of multinational brands were being tampered with and reintroduced into the market," read the statement.

Acting on the input, police conducted a raid at a godown in Dwarka, Sector-28, where they recovered a large quantity of soft drinks and packaged food items stored inside the premises.

Shivam Singh and Lokesh Kumar, who were present at the spot, were apprehended. During questioning, the two disclosed that they were working under the instructions of Kamal Mudgil, the owner of the illegal setup and all the goods. Mudgil also reached the spot shortly after and was apprehended as well, it read.

Police said that officials of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) were called to the spot to verify the firm's licences and collect samples. After inspection, the food products bearing forged batch numbers and expiry dates were seized.

The team also recovered a printing machine used for printing forged manufacturing and expiry dates, and thinner chemicals used to erase original markings on the products.

Modus Operandi of the Expired Food Racket

"During interrogation, the accused revealed that they procured expired or near-expiry products from the market, erased the original manufacturing dates, expiry dates and batch numbers using thinner, and then printed new dates using the machine," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Harsh Indora said in a statement.

The products were then repackaged in cartons and supplied in the market.

A case has been registered and further investigation is underway, the police added.