Kamal Ghorui
PALANPUR: For the past five years, hundreds of villagers in Sabarkantha and Mehsana districts have unknowingly consumed milk and buttermilk adulterated with detergent powder, urea and other toxic chemicals.On Friday, the Sabarkantha Local Crime Branch (LCB) busted a factory allegedly manufacturing adulterated milk near Salal village in Prantij taluka and arrested five people, including a juvenile.
The raid was conducted at a unit named Shree Satya Dairy Products, where milk was reportedly prepared by mixing water, milk powder, caustic soda, refined palmolein oil, refined soybean oil, detergent powder and urea fertiliser.“Using 300 litres of genuine milk, the accused used to produce 1,700 to 1,800 litres of milk daily by mixing various chemicals. The milk was packed in pouches and supplied to villages,” said a senior police official.Police seized adulteration materials including 450 kg whey powder, 625 kg skimmed milk powder, 300 kg premium SMP powder, urea fertiliser, caustic soda, detergent powder, soybean oil and palmolein oil, besides 1,962 litres of adulterated milk and 1,180 litres of adulterated buttermilk meant for distribution.Officials said the adulterants were used to artificially increase the thickness, foam, protein content and overall appearance of milk to deceive consumers.Acting on specific intelligence, a joint team of the LCB, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the food and drugs department carried out the operation. During the search, officials recovered large quantities of hazardous chemicals, adulteration substances and equipment used for manufacturing and packaging milk. The factory was sealed immediately.Police arrested four accused — plant operator Jitendra Patel and employees Sachin Makwana, Karan Parmar and Ajaysinh Parmar — while a juvenile worker was detained.The factory owner, Rakesh alias Dhamo Patel, a resident of Salal currently living in Himmatnagar, is absconding. Police have launched a search operation to nab him.A case has been registered at Prantij police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
