Surat Rural police busted a fake ghee manufacturing racket operating from a warehouse in Kamrej taluka on Wednesday. The local crime branch (LCB) seized raw material and machinery worth approximately Rs 3 lakh, highlighting food safety risks faced by consumers in South Gujarat.
Raid on Warehouse
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 15 kg each filled with vegetable oil, seven containers of 15 kg each containing palm oil, three containers of fake ghee, and equipment used in the process.
Method of Adulteration
Investigators stated that the ghee was prepared by mixing palm oil and vegetable oil, then packaged and sold as pure cow ghee. The accused, Kiran Modi, 40, a resident of Sumul Dairy Road, was apprehended at the spot. During interrogation, Modi claimed he had obtained a license from the food and drugs department in 2021 to manufacture ghee and had been using the warehouse for three years.
Further Investigation
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.
