46 cases booked, 52 arrested in Rachakonda for adulterated paneer, ghee, ginger paste
Hyderabad: In a coordinated crackdown on illegal and unsafe food manufacturing units, the Special Operations Teams (SOT) I & II of Rachakonda Police, along with Law and Order officers and Armed Reserve personnel, conducted simultaneous raids across the Rachakonda Commissionerate limits. The special drive was carried out on the instructions of Commissioner of Police, Rachakonda, G. Sudheer Babu.
During the raids, several food production units were found operating without valid licenses from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and trade authorities. Large quantities of adulterated food items, including ginger garlic paste, ghee, paneer, and other products, were seized. Most of these were being prepared in unhygienic conditions and distributed in and around the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area.
Officials also inspected a unit producing immunity-boosting powders and tablets, which was found to be violating multiple safety norms.
Among the violations observed were manufacturing food items without FSSAI licenses, selling products without trade licenses, preparing food in unhygienic environments, employing child labour, using expired raw materials, failing to display manufacturing and expiry dates, and using banned synthetic food colours. Many of the seized products were being sold under counterfeit labels resembling reputed brands.
A total of 46 cases have been registered, and 52 people were arrested during the operation. Investigations are ongoing to trace the wider distribution networks involved in this illegal activity.
Division-wise details show that in LB Nagar zone, 11 cases were registered with 575 litres of adulterated ghee seized. In Maheshwaram, 8 cases were filed and 3,946 kg of adulterated ginger garlic paste was confiscated. Malkajgiri recorded 9 cases, with seizures including 3,037 kg of adulterated ginger garlic paste and immunity-boosting powders and tablets valued at ₹10 lakh.
Bhongir division reported the highest number of cases with 18, where 35 kg of adulterated paneer and approximately 250 kg of mixture items were seized. Besides the major seizures, other items such as adulterated milk, turmeric powder, coriander powder, sweets, biscuits, ice creams, mineral water, and bakery items were also confiscated during the raids.
The Rachakonda Police have appealed to the public to remain vigilant and check manufacturing and expiry dates on packaged food products. Citizens are encouraged to report suspicious or unsafe food manufacturing units by calling or sending a message via WhatsApp to 8712662666. The police reiterated that preparing and distributing food without proper licensing and hygiene standards poses serious health risks and will be dealt with strictly.