Authorities discovered an adulteration network operated by an authorized distributor, which led to the bust of a fake ghee scheme that supplied goods to Nandini dairy parlors in Bengaluru.
According to investigations, the organization manufactured tainted ghee in Tamil Nadu, poured it into fake Nandini sachets and plastic bottles, and supplied it to suspected people in Bengaluru who were licensed by the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF). The phony ghee was thereafter sold at full market value by these distributors to retail stores, wholesale stores, and Nandini parlors. Mahendra, an official KMF dealer and distributor who frequently placed large ghee orders, abruptly started reducing his purchases, which led KMF officials to discover the scheme. He had been ordering only 50 liters instead of his customary 100 liters, raising red flags.
Inspections showed why. One liter of authentic Nandini ghee was allegedly mixed with palm oil and other fats by Mahendra, the main accused, resulting in five liters of tainted product. Nandini parlors throughout the city were then provided with this phony ghee. Based on intelligence obtained covertly, the City Crime Branch (CCB) Special Investigation Squad and KMF Vigilance Wing collaborated to track the network.
Teams raided the godowns, stores, and trucks that belong to Mahendra and his family’s Krishna Enterprises in Chamarajpet on Friday. The driver of a car carrying tainted ghee was taken into custody.
KMF Vigilance later expanded the probe, exposing the full scope of Mahendra’s operation. According to sources, he allegedly resorted to adulteration to raise money for his daughter’s wedding.
“Four accused have been arrested so far. Authorities have seized 8,136 litres of adulterated ghee, coconut and palm oil, Rs 1.19 lakh in cash, four goods vehicles, machinery used for manufacturing the adulterated ghee, and other related items. The total value of the seized property is approximately Rs 1.27 crore,” the office of Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said in a statement.
