Fake ghee racket busted in Surat, raw material worth Rs 3 lakh seized in Kamrej raid

SURAT: A fake ghee manufacturing racket operating from a warehouse in Kamrej taluka was busted by Surat Rural police on Wednesday, with the local crime branch (LCB) seizing raw material and machinery worth about Rs 3 lakh, bringing into focus food safety risks consumers in South Gujarat face.

An LCB team raided the premises of Araydhya Marketing and Dairy Products at Navagam, where spurious ghee was allegedly being produced and packaged.

Officers seized 25 containers of 15kg each filled with vegetable oil, seven containers of 15kg each containing palm oil, three containers of fake ghee and equipment used in the process.

Investigators said the ghee was prepared by mixing palm oil and vegetable oil and then packaged and sold as pure cow ghee.

Police identified the accused as Kiran Modi, 40, a resident of Sumul Dairy Road, who was apprehended at the spot. On being interrogated, Modi said he had obtained a licence from the food and drugs department in 2021 to manufacture ghee and had been using the warehouse for three years.

A Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA) team was called to the site, and officials took samples of the seized material for laboratory testing. Police said further legal action will follow after the test reports are received.

“The adulterated product was being marketed as genuine cow ghee to mislead consumers. Samples of the seized material have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for testing, and the results will reveal their actual content. Based on the findings, further action will be taken against those involved,” said N G Panchani, police inspector, LCB, Surat.