Police on Saturday busted a fake spice manufacturing unit in Jagatpur area of Cuttack and detained two people in connection with the case.
Acting on a tip-off over production of spices like turmeric and chilli of sub-standard quality, a team of Jagatpur police station conducted a raid on the unit. During the search, police stumbled upon a huge quantity of packeted adulterated turmeric and chili powder.
Raw materials, labels of some brands and machinery equipment used in the processing of spices were seized from the factory by the probe team. Preliminary investigation revealed that the manufacture of fake spices had allegedly been going on in the factory for quite some time. Using the brands of some well known companies, the unit had been supplying adulterated turmeric and chili powder to the markets in and around Cuttack.
It has also come to light that apart from traders in Malgodown area who were the main buyers of the spices from manufacturing unit, fake products were also being supplied to some neighbouring districts. The police are investigating to find out if some others are involved in running the fake spice manufacturing racket. Interrogation of the owner and staff is underway to squeeze out more details on the case.
Crackdown on trade of fake spices and other adulterated food materials is not new in Cuttack. Earlier, several factories and plants have been seized on charges of selling duplicate food items from sauce to ghee and oil to honey in the Silver City particularly in Jagatpur area.