Hyderabad police bust adulterated ginger garlic paste unit, seize 1,300 kg product worth Rs. 1.7L

HYDERABAD: The Commissioner's Task Force, East Zone Team, raided an adulterated ginger garlic paste manufacturing unit in Lalapet, Secunderabad, and apprehended Neela Venakateshwarlu for mixing Titanium Dioxide and Xantham gum into ginger garlic paste.

This is not his first offense, as he was previously caught by Lalapet police and GHMC food safety officers for similar violations. The police seized 1,300 kgs of adulterated paste and 20 kgs of additives, worth Rs. 1,70,000.

Neela Venakateshwarlu, operating from Janapriya apartments in Lalapet, Secunderabad, was discovered mixing Titanium Dioxide and Xantham Gum into ginger garlic paste. These substances are known to cause health issues such as irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, and Titanium Dioxide has the potential to induce lung cancer in animals.

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Neela Venakateshwarlu mixed Titanium Dioxide and Xantham gum to produce counterfeit ginger garlic paste. He then misrepresented this adulterated product as natural and authentic and distributed it across various parts of Hyderabad. Initially, he supplied genuine branded ginger garlic paste to retailers, but Venakateshwarlu found his income insufficient to meet personal expenses. Consequently, he devised a scheme to manufacture ginger-garlic paste using cheaper components like titanium dioxide and Xantham gum to maximise profits.

Exposure to Titanium Dioxide and Xantham Gum can be harmful to the human body, causing irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. Titanium Dioxide also has the potential to induce lung cancer in animals.

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A case has been registered against Venakateshwarlu under Cr.No. 43/2017 U/s 272, 273, 420 IPC of Lalaguda Police Station, as well as under U/s 52, 59 of the Food Safety Act in 2019.

The accused, along with the seized property, were handed over to GHMC Food Safety Officer for further necessary action.