Noida: Four Aligarh-based men were arrested on Sunday for allegedly manufacturing and supplying adulterated paneer to a Noida market, police said, adding that 1,400 kilograms of adulterated paneer and raw material used in its production were confiscated from their possession.
Late Saturday night, police received a tip-off about a pick-up truck carrying adulterated paneer, and that it was en route to Noida for delivery, said officers.
“We set up a checkpoint and stopped the truck for inspection in Sector 63,” said DCP (Central Noida) Shakti Mohan Avasthy.
“The truck driver, Gulfam (single name), 23, from Sehajpur, Aligarh, and two of his aides, hired as daily wagers—Naved, 20, and Iqbal, 30, also from Aligarh—revealed that they worked for Faridabad-based men named Guddu and Afsar,”the DCP added.
Police said Naved had joined the operation about a fortnight ago, while Iqbal claimed that it was his first time delivering paneer. “Guddu, a resident of Pisawa, Aligarh, was arrested on Sunday, and efforts are on to nab his partner Afsar,” said DCP Avasthy.
An investigation found that the suspects had been involved in manufacturing and supplying adulterated paneer in the National Capital Region (NCR), including Noida and Greater Noida, for the last six months. “They used to deliver quintals of paneer to Noida every two to three days. Their shopkeepers were fixed clients. We are investigating whether these shopkeepers were aware of the adulteration,” said Sector 63 station house officer Avdhesh Pratap Singh.
“They were producing two types of paneer—one made by mixing ₹30-per-litre milk with some powder, and the other by mixing dry milk with palmolein oil… charging ₹180 and ₹220 per kilogram,” said Singh, adding that Sections 274 (adulteration of food), 275 (sale of noxious food), and 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita have been registered at the Sector 63 police station. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the absconding accused.
Police recovered machines used to manufacture paneer, raw material including powder, palmolein oil, and small bottles of paint used to whiten the paneer.
The Food Safety Department, and samples have been sent to Agra for forensic testing, it added.