Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Journalism of Courage
Premium
1,401 kg of fake paneer recovered from Surat godown; ingredients worth Rs. 28.44 lakh seized
Acting on a tip-off, the SOG along with Food Safety Department officials of the Surat Municipal Corporation, carried out raids in a plot at the Bhidbhanjan Society in Pandesara and found a large stock of ready-to-eat and under-processed non-branded paneer.
SOG sources said that 1,401 kilograms of fake paneer, kept in a freezer, was found along with machinery and weighing scales worth Rs. 25 lakhs, plastic bags for loose cheese, stickers of non-branded analogue paneer and a huge stock of acetic acid and palm oil.
Surat Special Operation Group sleuths have seized analogue paneer and other ingredients worth Rs. 28.44 lakh from a godown in Surat on Thursday. The unit was run by Maheshkumar Sharma, a native of Rajasthan and resident of Althan area in Surat city.
Acting on a tip-off, the SOG along with Food Safety Department officials of the Surat Municipal Corporation, carried out raids in a plot at the Bhidbhanjan Society in Pandesara and found a large stock of ready-to-eat and under-processed non-branded paneer.
After receiving approval from the Food Safety Department, the officials confirmed it is analogue paneer.
SOG sources said that 1,401 kilograms of fake paneer, kept in a freezer, was found along with machinery and weighing scales worth Rs. 25 lakhs, plastic bags for loose cheese, stickers of non-branded analogue paneer and a huge stock of acetic acid and palm oil.
Sources said that the firm was selling the paneer at Rs. 220 per kg, to different dairies. The accused had allegedly been running this illegal business for the past two years. The accused confessed to selling 400 kilograms of analogue paneer daily. Officials said that some samples have been taken from the factory, which will be tested at an SMC-approved laboratory.
Surat SOG Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rajdeepsingh Nakum said, “The accused was supplying analogue paneer to Dharmaraj Dairy, Radha Krishna Dairy, Om Sai Dairy and Rajkamal Dairy. It was manufactured using a mixture of palm oil, milk powder, acetic acid and other ingredients. The accused has been running this business for the last two years, playing with the health of citizens. We have sent the samples for laboratory test, and after getting the report, we will register an offence against the owner, Mahesh Sharma.”
Advertisement
Loading Recommendations...
Live Blog