Hyderabad Tea Powder Adulteration Racket Busted: 10 Arrested, 3,000 Kg Adulterated Tea Seized in H-FAST Raids
Hyderabad tea adulteration racket busted: 10 arrested, 3,000 kg adulterated tea seized in H-FAST raids across 15 locations.
In a major Hyderabad tea powder adulteration bust, the Hyderabad Food Adulteration Surveillance Team (H-FAST) conducted raids at 15 locations across the city, arrested 10 persons, and seized approximately 3,000 kgs of adulterated tea powder, 1,500 kgs of expired tea powder, artificial colours, and 100 kgs of jaggery, with investigation ongoing under the Food Safety and Standards Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Table of Contents
H-FAST Raids at 15 Locations in Hyderabad
Acting on credible information about large-scale adulteration of tea powder, the H-FAST Team, Hyderabad City, carried out raids at:
- 15 locations
- Targeting manufacturing units involved in preparation and supply of adulterated tea powder
During the raids, officials found that operators were:
- Mixing artificial synthetic colours
- Using low-quality materials to increase profits
- Using expired materials
The adulterated tea powder was supplied to:
- Roadside vendors
- Reputed vendors
10 Accused Arrested in Hyderabad Tea Adulteration Case
A total of 10 persons were arrested for their involvement in manufacturing and distribution.
Details of Accused Persons:
- Paresh Rajan – Kompally – Supplier of colour
- Sanju @ Pati – Petlaburj – Prepares colour & mixes
- Satish – Musheerabad – Mixing colour & supply
- Naveen – Bowenpally – Mixing colour
- Narsimha – Asifnagar – Mixing colour, 250g illegal packets
- Chunnilal Chaudhary – Rajendranagar – Preparing adulterated tea powder
- Narsimulu – Borabanda – Mixing colour & supply
- Rajesh – Petlaburj – Mixing colour & supply
- Ravinder – Bidar – Mixing colour & supply
- Waseem – Mallepally – Mixing colour
Adulteration Methods and Materials Used
Investigation revealed that the accused were involved in unsafe and illegal practices such as:
- Mixing artificial colours
- Using jaggery juice
- Adding used tea powder
- Using expired tea powder
They procured low-quality tea powder from vendors in:
- Kolkata
- Kerala
- Assam
The adulteration involved synthetic food colours such as:
- Sunset Yellow FCF
- Tartrazine
- Total dye colour
The accused admitted to:
- Mixing harmful chemicals with inferior tea powder
- Repackaging under different brand names
- Selling it as genuine product
Health Risks and Legal Action
Officials warned that such adulteration can cause:
- Stomach disorders
- Allergies
- Long-term health complications
Action is being taken under:
- Food Safety and Standards Act
- Relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
The enforcement drive is focused on:
- Curbing adulteration at manufacturing level
- Not targeting roadside vendors
Seized Materials in Operation
The following items were seized:
- Approximately 3,000 kgs adulterated tea powder (mixing material)
- Approximately 1,500 kgs expired tea powder
- Artificial colours used for adulteration
- Approximately 100 kgs jaggery
Public Advisory Issued
Authorities advised the public to:
- Purchase tea powder only from reliable and authorized sellers
- Report suspected food adulteration to authorities
Food business operators were warned:
- Involvement in adulteration will lead to strict legal action, including criminal prosecution
Officials Behind the Operation
The operation was conducted:
- Under the guidance of Sri Gaikwad Vaibhav Raghunath, IPS, DCP, Commissioner’s Task Force, Hyderabad
- Led by H-FAST Inspectors Sri N. Ranjith Kumar Goud and Sri M. Anjaiah
Team members included:
- SIs V. Akhil, P. Abhilash, V. Shankar, D. Ramya
- Other H-FAST personnel
The Hyderabad tea powder adulteration racket, busted by H-FAST through raids at 15 locations, led to the arrest of 10 accused and seizure of 3,000 kgs adulterated tea powder and 1,500 kgs expired stock, with strict legal action underway under the Food Safety and Standards Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
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