Bengaluru (PTI): With the arrest of four people, a large network involved in producing adulterated ghee and selling them in fake 'Nandhini' packs is busted, Bengaluru Police on Saturday said.
The group produced adulterated ghee in Tamil Nadu and filled it into fake Nandini brand sachets and plastic bottles, and sold them across Bengaluru, they added.
"Four accused have been arrested in this case so far. Authorities have seized 8,136 litres of adulterated ghee, coconut and palm oil, Rs 1.19 lakh in cash, four goods vehicles used for transportation, machinery used for manufacturing the adulterated ghee, and other related items. The total value of the seized property is approximately Rs 1.27 crore," a statement issued by the office of Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said.
"Understanding the high demand for Nandini ghee in Karnataka, the accused had been preparing adulterated ghee in Tamil Nadu, filling it into counterfeit Nandini sachets and plastic bottles, and supplying it to Bengaluru-based accused who held official KMF licenses," it added.
These accused were then distributing the adulterated ghee to various wholesale and retail shops and Nandini parlours across the city, passing it off as original Nandini ghee at the actual market price, it said.
"Based on intelligence gathered secretly by the CCB (Central Crime Branch) Special Investigation Squad and KMF (Karnataka Milk Federation) Vigilance Wing officers, the operation was tracked," it said.
According to police, On Friday, a joint team of the CCB Special Investigation Squad and the KMF Vigilance Wing conducted a raid on the godowns, shops, and goods vehicles belonging to Krishna Enterprises in Nanjamba Agrahara, Chamarajpet, owned by the main accused and their family members.
During the raids, a vehicle transporting adulterated ghee was seized and the driver arrested, they said.
A case has been registered at the CCB Special Investigation Division, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Thane (PTI): A 55-year-old builder and social media influencer has been arrested for alleged possession of a cache of weapons in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Tuesday.
The accused, Surendra Panduranga Patil, who has more than three lakh followers on Instagram, was arrested on Saturday night, just a week after being released on bail in a separate case, an official said.
"Acting on a tip-off, our team searched Patil's bungalow in the Dawdi area of Dombivli late on Saturday night. We recovered a cache of weapons hidden behind a fake panel of a newly installed shoe rack that did not match the house's interior," the official from the Crime Branch said.
Five country-made pistols and revolvers, some engraved with 'Made in USA,' and two air guns, were seized, along with 371 cartridges, 167 air gun pellets, a sword, a button knife, a sharp-edged weapon, and two steel rods, he said, adding that the seized items were worth Rs 10 lakh.
"The quantity of ammunition suggests the stockpile was fully operational. While Patil claims the weapons were mere 'props' for his gangster-themed social media videos, we are investigating if he was preparing a 'mini-army' or supplying arms to local criminals," the official said.
Patil, a history-sheeter, now faces fresh charges under the Arms Act and the Maharashtra Police Act.
