CUTTACK: The Commissionerate Police on Saturday busted an adulterated spices manufacturing unit at Dabati village within 42 Mauza police limits.
The owner of the unit Ajay Kumar Das of Kajidiha within Madhupatna police limits has been arrested. Cuttack DCP Prateek Singh said, acting on a tip-off the police conducted a raid with the help of food safety officials and stumbled upon huge quantities of packaged adulterated turmeric, chilli, coriander, powder, edible soda, raw material including insect infested rice, chemicals, colour and machinery for processing and packaging from the unit.
Over five quintal of finished and raw materials were seized from the unit which was functioning sans any licence and authorisation from competent authorities. The accused along with his mother had been preparing, packaging and marketing turmeric, chilli and edible soda with sub-standard raw material and marketing the same under ‘Konark Masala’ brand. The DCP said the accused’s mother is at large.
Samples of the seized goods will be sent to a food testing laboratory for examination, said food safety officer, Cuttack (Rural) Rakesh Sahu.