Fake Nandini Ghee Racket Busted in Bengaluru: CCB Arrests 4; Check Details

Bengaluru police arrested four people, including a Nandini parlour owner and his son, for selling fake Nandini ghee. The accused mixed genuine ghee with palm oil and Dalda at a unit in Tamil Nadu before repackaging it.

The CCB police have arrested four people, including the owner of a Nandini parlour and his son, for allegedly selling fake ghee under the Karnataka Milk Federation's (KMF) Nandini brand. The arrested individuals are Mahendra, a resident of Azad Nagar near Chamarajpet; his son Deepak; driver Muniraju; and Abhi Aras from Tamil Nadu. Police have seized 8,350 litres of fake ghee and four vehicles from the accused.

City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said the CCB is continuing its operation to track down others involved in the racket, including Shivakumar, the owner of the fake ghee manufacturing unit, who fled during the raid. The scam was uncovered during a joint operation by the CCB and the KMF vigilance wing on Friday, following a tip-off about counterfeit ghee being sold at Mahendra's Nandini parlour in Chamarajpet.

How the Fake Ghee Was Made:

Mahendra held a valid KMF licence for his Nandini parlour. He would buy genuine Nandini ghee from KMF and transport it to Avinashi in Tamil Nadu, where accused Shivakumar ran a fake ghee manufacturing unit. According to police, the gang mixed Dalda and palm oil with Nandini ghee and then repackaged it with Nandini labels to sell in the market. The adulterated ghee cost around Rs 300 per kg to produce.

Mahendra would then sell the counterfeit ghee to customers for Rs 700 per kg under the Nandini brand name. Officials said the adulteration racket had been operating for over a year. During the raid, items worth Rs 1.26 crore, including four vehicles and 8,350 litres of fake ghee, were seized. The search for the remaining absconding accused is ongoing. The arrests were made by a team led by ACP Gopal D. Jogin of the CCB's Special Investigation Team.

Son Supported Father's Crime

According to the CCB, Deepak, an MBA graduate and Mahendra's son, actively supported his father's illegal business for easy money. He has now been arrested and remanded to judicial custody.