India

Rajasthan Seizes 22,138 Litres of Expired Ghee, Three Arrested Ahead of Diwali

By HT News Desk

Three individuals—Ram Tayal (26), Mukesh Kumar (24) and Vikas Kumar (42)—were arrested on Saturday after the CID Crime Branch, local police and food safety officials seized 22,138 litres of suspected adulterated ghee worth approximately ₹1.60 crore during raids at two premises in Sri Ganganagar district, Rajasthan. The joint team also recovered ₹3.50 lakh in cash believed to be linked to the sales of the product.

During a raid on Ananya Trading Company’s warehouse and factory, officials found 16,394 litres of ghee packed under brand names such as Trisalwa, Bansuri, Shrinand and Mayra. The ghee was reportedly expired and repackaged with fresh labels before being sold. Investigators also seized containers without labels, packaging material, stickers, a packing machine and other equipment. Preliminary questioning suggested that expired and returned ghee was being repackaged with fresh labels before being sold in the market. Authorities suspect that palm oil and vanaspati sourced from Gujarat were used to prepare the adulterated ghee, which was allegedly supplied to dealers in Sri Ganganagar and nearby areas. The premises were sealed after food safety officials collected samples for laboratory testing.

In a separate operation, the Delhi government seized 948.9 litres of suspected adulterated ghee during raids at three locations across the capital. The food safety department recovered 389.9 litres from Bhogal Market in southeast Delhi, 338 litres from Najafgarh Market in southwest Delhi and 221 litres during a joint operation with Delhi Police in Shiv Vihar in northeast Delhi. Officials also collected 15 ghee samples from Bhogal and Najafgarh markets for laboratory testing, with further action to be taken based on the results.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government plans to modernise the food safety department, increase staff strength and deploy personnel from other departments if needed. The crackdown will continue throughout the year, and strict action will be taken against those involved in food adulteration. A public awareness campaign is also planned to encourage residents to report food adulteration, poor‑quality food and the sale of expired products via the food safety department’s helpline, 1800‑11‑3921, during office hours.