Couple arrested for selling fake ghee under name of leading brand

BENGALURU: The police have arrested a couple, the main accused in a racket of selling fake ghee under the name of a leading dairy brand 'Nandini'. The arrested have been identified as Shivakumar and Ramya. They were running a manufacturing unit in Bengaluru under the brand name 'Nandini' and were selling fake ghee, said the officials.

The Central Crime Branch (CCB) police raided a manufacturing unit and found high-tech machinery used to produce fake ghee. The officials said the couple was using advanced industrial equipment to manufacture fake 'Nandini' products on a large scale.

The officials seized all the machinery used for the production process. Four people involved in the racket were arrested earlier. Nandini is one of the leading dairy brands in South India, owned by the Karnataka Cooperative Milk Producers Federation (KMF). The brand Nandini has a huge market value.

The fake ghee was seized during a secret operation conducted by the Central Crime Branch Special Investigation Squad and the KMF Vigilance Wing on November 14 following a tip-off about illegal sales. The investigators raided godowns, shops and vehicles associated with Krishna Enterprises at Nanjamba Agrahara in Chamarajpet, suspected to be distribution centres for the fake ghee.

The investigation team has seized a vehicle carrying adulterated ghee packets from Tamil Nadu. The police have also seized 8,136 litres of adulterated ghee worth Rs 56.95 lakh, machinery used to make it, kilograms of coconut and palm oil, five mobile phones worth Rs 1.19 lakh and four Bolero goods vehicles worth Rs 60 lakh, along with property worth Rs 1.26 crore. The officials are also checking whether the ghee was mixed with animal fat.