Delhi Police cracks down on counterfeit toothpaste, repackaging of expired food

While a counterfeit toothpaste manufacturing unit was dismantled in Delhi's Khanjawala, a racket involved in repackaging and circulating expired food and beverage products was unearthed in the city's Dwarka area. The alleged masterminds of both the illicit units have been arrested.

In Short

• Fake toothpaste manufacturing factory busted in Khanjawala area
• Thousands of empty toothpaste tubes were seized during the raid
• Racket repackaging, selling expired food products raided in Dwarka

Delhi Police has busted two major rackets involved in circulating counterfeit and expired consumer products, including foods and beverages, according to officials. The illegal operations were uncovered in two separate operations carried out by the Crime Branch of Delhi Police.

While a counterfeit toothpaste manufacturing unit was dismantled in Delhi's Khanjawala, a racket involved in repackaging and circulating expired food and beverage products was unearthed in the city's Dwarka area. The alleged masterminds of both the illicit units have been arrested.

COUNTERFEIT TOOTHPASTE UNIT BUSTED

A team of the Crime Branch raided a godown in Khanjawala on Thursday on the basis of a tip-off, officials said.

A large quantity of fake toothpaste, along with thousands of empty toothpaste tubes, packaging boxes, caps, wrappers, adhesive, a heating machine, and equipment used for filling and sealing toothpaste were seized from the spot, officials added.

The modus operandi of the racket involved filling the tubes of a reputed toothpaste brand with locally prepared toothpaste, per the police. The entire operation was taking place in unhygienic conditions.

"The seized goods were worth several lakhs and posed serious health risks due to unhygienic manufacturing conditions," a senior police officer was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Around 1,800 filled fake toothpaste tubes, along with over 10,000 empty tubes and more than 1,200 packed tubes was recovered from the site, the police said. Hari Om Mishra, 58, was arrested for allegedly running the operation.

EXPIRED FOODS, BEVERAGES UNIT RAIDED

In Dwarka, three men were arrested and a large consignment of food and beverage products of renowned multinational brands with forged manufacturing and expiry dates were seized by the Crime Branch.

As many as 3,096 cans of soft drinks of various popular brands were among the items seized during the raid, the police informed. Similarly, a large quantity of biscuits of famous brands with altered packaging and stickers were also recovered, they added.

The arrested persons have been identified as Kamal Mudgil (56), Shivam Singh (27) and Lokesh Kumar (35). A team of officers of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was called to the spot to verify the firm's licences and collect samples.

After inspection, the food products bearing forged batch numbers and expiry dates were seized.

During the raid, Shivam and Lokesh were found present at the spot. During questioning, the duo allegedly revealed that they were working under the instructions of Kamal Mudgil, the purported owner of the illegal setup and all the goods.

When Mudgil arrived at the site later, he was taken into custody as well, the police said.

The modus operandi of the illicit operation included the procurement of expired or near-expiry food and beverage products from the market, officials said.

The next step would involve the use of thinners to erase the original manufacturing and expiry dates, and batch numbers. A printing machine was then used to print forged production and expiry dates, per the police.

The products were then repackaged in cartons and supplied in the market. A case has bee

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(With inputs from PTI)