NEW DELHI: Are you sure the “masala” you add to your delicious delicacies is healthy enough to consume? While medics advise eating less spicy food, two Masala manufacturers and one supplier in the national capital may think otherwise.
The reason. Well, they were making fortunes by manufacturing and selling non-edible essential spices, which had probably endangered lives of thousands of people.
The cops have, in a sensational operation, unearthed two factories, where spurious masalas were manufactured. Be it ‘haldi’ (turmeric) powder or ‘garam masala’ or even citric acid, the police have found more than 7,000 kg of adulterated spices.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Pawariya said information was received that some manufacturers and shopkeepers in North East Delhi are involved in manufacture, and selling of adulterated spices in Delhi-NCR, by the name of various brands.
Accordingly, a team was deployed under supervision of Inspector Virendra Singh, Cyber Cell, Crime Branch to develop on the intelligence in this regard on May 1, and it was found that two such manufacturing units were running in the Karawal Nagar area.
The police teams conducted a raid and two people, named Dilip and Khursheed, were apprehended. Dilip told the police that he was the owner of this manufacturing unit and Khursheed informed them that he was the supplier of these adulterated manufactured spices.
On inspection of manufactured unit, it was revealed that adulterated spices i.e. haldi powder, garam masala powder, amchoor (dried mango) powder and other raw items i.e. rotten rice, rotten coconuts, eucalyptus leaves, rotten berries, wood dust, citric acid, ‘chokar’, dry chilli heads, chemicals colours, etc. was found, police said.
The raw material used by them, was not edible and hence, the police informed the Department of Food & Safety, who came and inspected the scene and took several the samples of recovered adulterated spices.
“Interrogation revealed that another processing unit was running at Kali Khata Road, Karawal Nagar. A raid was conducted, and one person named Sarfaraz was apprehended making adulterated spices,” said the DCP.
The DCP said both the unit owners were committing fraud and playing with lives by manufacturing these adulterated essentials.