Hyderabad police busted a tea adulteration racket and arrested a businessman for mixing cocopeat and synthetic colours with low-quality tea dust. The accused allegedly sold the mixture to local tea stalls to make illegal profits.
The Commissioner's Task Force of Jubilee Hills Zone on Wednesday busted a tea powder adulteration racket in Hyderabad, apprehending a 33-year-old businessman for allegedly mixing synthetic colours and cocopeat with low-quality tea dust to make illegal profits, police said on Wednesday.
Acting on credible information, sleuths of the Commissioner's Task Force, West Zone Team, along with Sanath Nagar Police, conducted a raid at premises within the limits of Sanath Nagar and arrested the accused, identified as Jagannath Bishnoi, son of Gandhi Bishnoi, who is engaged in the tea business.
The Adulteration Method
According to the police, during the inquiry, the accused disclosed that he had been adulterating tea powder for financial gain. He revealed that he used to procure cocopeat and filter excess coconut husk before mixing it with hot jaggery water. The mixture was then dried for two to three days. After drying, synthetic food colours, Sunset Yellow and Tartrazine Orange, were added, which were absorbed by the jaggery-mixed cocopeat. The coloured mixture was again dried and later used in the adulteration process.
Hyderabad Police said that for preparing one kilogram of adulterated tea powder, the accused mixed 450 grams of low-quality tea dust, 500 grams of low-quality tea granules, and 50 grams of colour-mixed cocopeat. The adulterated tea powder was allegedly supplied and sold to local tea stalls and other dealers at a higher price by misrepresenting it as genuine tea powder.
Seized Materials
During the raid, officials seized 120 kilograms of colour-mixed tea powder, 30 kilograms of natural tea powder, and 138 kilograms of cocopeat mix. The team also confiscated one weighing machine, 800 grams of Sunset colour, 700 grams of Tartrazine colour, one domestic gas cylinder, three handles, one beaker, 12 boxes of jaggery (every 500 grams), and carry bag bundles weighing 10 kilograms, a release said.
The raid was carried out by West Zone Task Force Inspector CH Yadendar, along with Sub-Inspector D Ravi Raj and staff of the Commissioner's Task Force, West Team Hyderabad, in coordination with Banjara Hills Police, a release said.
Police Issue Warning
Police advised the general public to purchase tea powder only from authorised and reputed sellers and to immediately report any suspected cases of food adulteration to the concerned authorities. Food business operators have been warned that involvement in food adulteration, which poses a serious risk to human life, will attract criminal cases and stringent legal action.
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