Mumbai Police Bust Milk Adulteration Racket in Kandivali East, Seize 74 Litres
Mumbai Police have busted a milk adulteration operation in Kandivali East, arresting a 48-year-old man who was allegedly caught red-handed mixing impure water into branded milk and preparing it for sale.
The raid was conducted by the Detection Squad of Samta Nagar police at a residential premises in Kandivali East. During the operation, officers seized 74 litres of adulterated milk bearing labels of popular brands Amul and Gokul, along with counterfeit empty milk pouches and materials allegedly used in the adulteration process.
Police registered a case against the 48-year-old accused under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Food Safety and Standards Act. The arrest comes amid a broader investigation into the illicit preparation and sale of adulterated milk across Mumbai and its suburban localities.
The action follows an earlier crackdown by Unit 12 of the Mumbai Crime Branch, which dismantled an extensive counterfeit packaging and adulteration network. In that operation, officers acted on a tip-off and raided premises in Dahisar East on July 9, where milk packets of reputed brands were allegedly being cut open, diluted with dirty water, and resealed before being sold to consumers.
During the Dahisar East raid, police confiscated approximately 470 litres of milk valued at Rs 29,750, around 13,000 counterfeit empty Amul milk bags, plastic materials, adulteration equipment, and four mobile phones collectively worth Rs 10.79 lakh.
Investigators subsequently traced the alleged main accused to Telangana and arrested him. His interrogation led police to a factory at Lakshmi Industrial Estate, located at Valiv Phata in Vasai East, Palghar, where fake Amul bags were allegedly being manufactured. Officers seized counterfeit bags and manufacturing machinery valued at around Rs 10 lakh.
Four people arrested in connection with that operation were identified as Lingya Ganta, 42, Saidul Jingli, 33, Yadya Batulla, 46, and Ramul Bodopalli, 65. According to police, the key operative had been supplying fake branded milk pouches to adulteration networks across Mumbai and its suburbs since 2021. A case was registered at Dahisar police station under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Food Safety and Standards Act.
