Jaisalmer: A clandestine manufacturing unit producing adulterated ghee was unearthed in Barmer city, following a raid conducted by the district special team (DST) of the Sadar police station Sunday. The operation was initially aimed at investigating an alleged MD drug factory situated near Chamunda Hotel on Ring Road, but authorities stumbled upon an extensive ghee adulteration racket instead.During the raid, two individuals, identified as Jitendra Jain and Tilok Godara, were detained. The authorities seized a staggering 870 kg of ready-to-sell adulterated ghee, alongside substantial quantities of raw materials, including 1,660 kg of palm oil, 360 kg of soyabean oil, 240 kg of refined oil, and 75 kg of Khariya brand ghee. Additionally, nearly 370 kg of Shri Hari Vanaspati and various ghee-processing machines and packaging equipment were recovered from the premises.Initial interrogations revealed that the suspects acquired cream from Maruti Dairy and local markets, extracting genuine ghee before diluting it with 30%-35% palm oil. To mimic the desirable grainy texture of authentic desi ghee, they added 3%-5% vanaspati and other harmful adulterants. The addition of salt was allegedly employed during the processing stage to cleanse the cream prior to packaging.The adulterated ghee was being marketed at a price ranging from Rs 450 to Rs 650 per kg, while the actual production cost was only around Rs 250, police said. According to officials, the operation was ongoing for nearly one to one-and-a-half months. The machinery utilised for the adulteration was allegedly sourced from Deesa and Ahmedabad in Gujarat.Barmer’s Additional Superintendent of Police, Nitesh Arya, said the adulterated product, masquerading as pure desi ghee, was “nothing less than poison”. Arya stressed that the harmful ingredients involved pose a significant risk to public health.Food inspector Rajesh Kumar Jagid said samples of the seized ghee, oils and other raw materials have been dispatched to the Food Safety Standards Laboratory in Jodhpur for thorough analysis. The manufacturing unit has since been sealed, and authorities are in the process of verifying the legality of cartons bearing the Shri Shiv Gauri brand name, along with GST registration details and manufacturing licences.
Attachment
Attachment
Attachment
Attachment
Attachment
Attachment
