Hyderabad, March 19 Six individuals allegedly involved in the sale of adulterated paneer and other dairy products have been apprehended, and approximately 3,900 kg of contaminated products have been seized, police said on Thursday.
The processed paneer was stored in open plastic covers, exposing it to dust, flies, and other contaminants, making it unsafe and unfit for human consumption.
Acting on credible information, the officers of the Commissioner's Task Force, Hyderabad, in coordination with the Food Safety Officer of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), conducted a surprise inspection at Ganj Bazar, near Mahankali Temple in Secunderabad on Wednesday.
During the inspection, the team raided six wholesale and retail stores and apprehended six individuals – Jaipal Singh Rajpurohit, Kolariya Vaibhav, Naresh Kolariya, Prem Anil Vyas, Ram Kishore Kolariya, and Laxmi Narayana Kolariya, according to a police release.
The team found that these establishments were allegedly procuring large quantities of adulterated or unhygienic paneer and other dairy products from unknown sources and selling them to food catering services, hotels, and other customers for Rs 280 per kg in the market as quality paneer, making illegal profits.
No proper information, such as brand name, manufacturing date, and expiry date, was found, and no records of pest control were available.
The release stated that 3,892 kg of dairy products, including paneer, kowa, ghee, ajmera kalakand, and white cream, worth Rs 11.11 lakh, were seized.
The apprehended individuals, along with the seized materials, were handed over to the Station House Officer of the Mahankali police station for further action, it added.
