Police Bust Spice Adulteration Units in Medipally and Ramanthapur

Police teams seized large quantities of adulterated and expired spice products worth ₹1.5 crore during simultaneous raids at two units in Medipally and Ramanthapur on Thursday. The coordinated operation was carried out by the Special Operations Team (SOT) Malkajgiri, SOT Cantonment, Uppal Police, and the Malkajgiri Food Adulteration Surveillance Team under the M-FAST initiative.

In Medipally, officials raided Sai Thirumala Enterprises located in Srinivas Nagar Colony, where adulterated spices were being manufactured. Investigators discovered that powdered stems and sawdust were mixed into chilli powder, with adulterants making up 20 to 30 percent of the final product. Low-quality materials, including ground branches and stems, were mixed into coriander powder, while discarded outer layers from cleaning processes were ground into turmeric powder.

The Medipally raid resulted in the seizure of 10,890 kg of food material valued at around ₹25 lakh. The haul included 3,350 kg of chilli powder, 5,140 kg of coriander powder, 2,300 kg of turmeric powder, and 100 kg of garam masala. Police stated the unit was packaging these products using duplicate or look-alike packaging of the 'Swadeshi Swastik' brand. Two individuals, identified as Sathya Narayana and Rudra Shekar, were apprehended and handed over to the Medipally police for further action.

At the second location, V Mehak Masalas in Ramanthapur, officials discovered expired and unsuitable spice products being repackaged with fresh dates for sale. The altered goods included Prasiddhi Red Chilli Powder, Prasiddhi Turmeric Powder, and Spice Master Coriander Powder.

Authorities confiscated 330 kg of expired products, comprising 210 kg of red chilli powder, 60 kg of turmeric powder, and 60 kg of coriander powder. In addition, the team seized 1,750 kg of haldi, 400 kg of jeera, 25 kg of dhaniya, 53 kg of raw haldi material, and five processing machines. The total value of property seized at the Ramanthapur facility was estimated at ₹1.25 crore.

A 23-year-old supervisor, Devnani Bhupesh, was apprehended at the Ramanthapur unit, while the proprietor, 48-year-old Kavita Naresh Devnani, is absconding.

Following the operation, police urged consumers to thoroughly check manufacturing dates, expiry dates, batch numbers, FSSAI registration details, and packaging condition before buying food products.