NEW DELHI: Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has busted an illegal factory in Kanjhawala which made fake cumin seeds and arrested its owner on Thursday. The 43-year-old accused was identified as Suresh Gupta, a resident of Budh Vihar, Phase-I. He was running the factory making fake cumin seeds by using grass, jaggery vinegar and stone powder, police officials said.
More than 400 sacks of fake cumin seeds weighing a total of over 28 tons were recovered, police said, adding that the value of recovered items exceeds Rs 1 crore. Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said police had received input about the factory in which fake cumin seeds were being made. Considering it a matter of grave concern related to public health, information was further worked upon, Yadav said.
On the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, it was confirmed that the accused was running an illegal factory in the Kanjhawala area and was manufacturing fake cumin seeds in huge quantities. Police were also tipped off that he will transport a large consignment of the same outside Delhi. The immediate raid was planned to bust the illegal factory, the senior police official said.
“The staff of the Food Safety Department was also called to the place of recovery and the samples of fake cumin seeds were collected. The fake cumin seeds were made so well that nobody can discern that they are not real,” he added.
The officer said the workers in the illegal factory used to prepare fake cumin seeds which resembled real cumin seeds in colour, size and overall appearance. These seeds were mixed with genuine cumin seeds in proportion for selling the same in the market.
How he did it
The 43-year-old accused was identified as Suresh Gupta, a resident of Budh Vihar, Phase-I. He was running the factory making fake cumin seeds by using grass, jaggery vinegar and stone powder. Over 400 sacks of fake cumin seeds weighing over 28 tons were seized.