Two held for selling adulterated ginger paste in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Police in Hyderabad arrested two men on Wednesday, March 11, for manufacturing and selling adulterated ginger paste using chemicals in unhygienic conditions, officials said.

The accused, Mohammed Ziyauddin, 45, owner of a food unit called Seven Cooks, and Mohammed Mazhar Ali, 47, owner of Arjun Enterprises, were operating out of a house in Subhan Colony, Ali Nagar, within the limits of Mailardevpally Police Station.

Acting on a tip-off, police raided the premises and found the duo mixing chemicals into spoiled ginger and packaging the paste for sale to local shops across Hyderabad, a senior official said.

Two separate cases were registered against them under section 318(4) (cheating) and section 274 (adulteration of food or drink intended for sale) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Police seized 675 kg of adulterated ginger paste from the site, including 16 drums of ginger paste, five cartons of half-kg cans, one carton of 5-kg cans, 200 labels in the name of Seven Cooks, 2 kg of Block Gold Spices labelling material and 1.5 kg of xanthan gum powder. The total value of seized goods was estimated at Rs 90,000.