LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Sunday busted an illegal factory manufacturing adulterated tea leaves in Barabanki and arrested one alleged gang member, recovering over 763 kg of fake tea, chemicals used for colouring, packaging material and a sealing machine.The raid was carried out at Shahpur village under Baddoopur police station following intelligence inputs about the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit tea in Barabanki and neighbouring districts.“The arrested accused has been identified as Mohammad Shakeel, a resident of Shahpur village in Barabanki,” said STF.The team recovered 763.75 kg of adulterated tea leaves, around 3.9 kg of colouring chemicals, a tea-packing machine, 1,935 branded tea packets of different labels and nearly 150 kg of empty plastic packaging material used to pack the counterfeit product.“During interrogation, Shakeel allegedly revealed that the gang procured low-grade tea leaves from Assam at cheap prices and mixed them with chemicals to enhance colour and strength before repackaging them under different brand names,” said Avnishwar Chand Srivastava, ASP, STF.The fake tea was allegedly supplied to wholesale markets in Lucknow, Barabanki, Sitapur, Shahjahanpur and Bahraich, generating substantial illegal profits, said ASP Srivastava.Acting on the tip-off, a team led by ASP Avnishwar Chand Srivastava raided the premises and unearthed the manufacturing unit.A case has been registered at Badupur police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to cheating, adulteration and sale of noxious food or drink. Police said efforts are underway to identify and arrest other members of the network and trace the distribution chain.Officials said the investigation will also focus on identifying the source of the packaging material and whether the counterfeit products entered the retail market under the names of established tea brands.
