7,000 litre spurious milk, other dairy items seized in Patiala
PATIALA/CHANDIGARH:A joint team of the health department and police on Thursday claimed to have unearthed a factory involved in the manufacturing of spurious milk and other dairy items at Mehon village near Devigarh town, 35km from the district headquarters.
The team seized 7,000 litre spurious milk, 323 bags (50kg each) of skimmed powered milk, 250 litres of chemical used in making adulterated milk, 20 quintal cheese and 12 quintal ghee.
“The factory was sealed after the health department collected samples for quality testing,” Patiala SSP Mandeep Singh said.
The factory owner, Anil Kumar Singla, was arrested and a case under Sections 420 (cheating), 472 (making of counterfeit seal), 473 (possessing counterfeit seal) and 474 (forged documents) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Julkan polce station.
“The factory is operating since 2014 and uses powered milk, chemicals and washing powders to make milk and cheese. A probe has been launched to zero in on the buyers of these products. The owner has confessed to supplying these dairy products to several parts of Punjab, Haryana and other states,” the SSP said.
A senior official said these products were supplied to some high-end restaurants and sweet shops in Patiala also. “Nearly 45 quintal adulterated cheese and tons of milk is produced and supplied from the factory daily. They sell cheese ₹100 cheaper than the original product,” he said.
In a press release, commissioner (food and drug administration) KS Pannu said in a similar raid a team of health department, dairy development department and police raided Vishnu Milk Centre, Baghapurana, in Moga district and seized 1 quintal skimmed milk powder, 15 kg detergent powder, 28 quintal spurious desi ghee, 300 litre suspicious curd, 300 kg paneer. The team conducted raid at a dairy farm at Harkishanpura village in Bhawanigarh area of Sangrur and collected samples of spurious milk and milk products.
FACTORY SEALED, OWNER ARRESTED; SKIMMED MILK POWDER, DETERGENT, SPURIOUS GHEE, CHEESE SEIZED IN MOGA; SAMPLES COLLECTED IN SANGRUR