Hyderabad police have dismantled a major tea adulteration racket, arresting 10 individuals involved in the dangerous practice of mixing harmful substances into tea powder for profit.
Key Points
- Hyderabad police busted a tea powder adulteration racket, arresting 10 individuals.
- The accused were allegedly mixing synthetic food colours, jaggery juice, and expired tea powder to enhance appearance and increase profit margins.
- Police seized 3,000 kg of adulterated tea powder, 1,500 kg of expired tea powder, artificial colours, and 100 kg of jaggery.
- The accused procured low-quality tea powder from Kolkata, Kerala, and Assam, and adulterated it using synthetic food colours and dyes.
- Action is being taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The H-FAST busted a tea powder adulteration racket here and arrested 10 people, police said.
Details Of The Tea Adulteration Racket
The investigation revealed that some of the accused were allegedly mixing synthetic food colours, jaggery juice, and used and expired tea powder to enhance appearance and increase profit.
Based on credible information about large-scale adulteration of tea powder, the Hyderabad Food Adulteration Surveillance Team conducted searches at 15 locations across the city recently, targeting manufacturing units involved in the preparation and supply of adulterated tea powder.
Seizure Of Adulterated Tea Powder And Materials
In the operation, 10 persons were arrested for their alleged involvement in the manufacturing and distribution of adulterated tea powder, DCP (Commissioner's Task Force) Gaikwad Vaibhav Raghunath said in a release issued on Thursday.
A total of 3,000 kg of adulterated tea powder, 1,500 kg of expired tea powder, artificial colours used for adulteration, and 100 kg of jaggery were seized.
Modus Operandi Of The Accused
The accused procured low-quality tea powder from vendors in Kolkata, Kerala, and Assam, and adulterated it using synthetic food colours and dyes, the release said.
The accused admitted to mixing these harmful synthetic chemicals with inferior-quality tea powder and repackaging the adulterated product under different brand names, it said.
Legal Action Taken
Action is being taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the release added.
