Bengaluru couple arrested as kingpins of fake Nandini ghee racket
Bengaluru police arrested a couple for running a major fake Nandini ghee racket, seizing over 8,000 litres of adulterated ghee, machinery and vehicles
The kingpins behind the fake ‘Nandini’ ghee racket, recently busted in Bengaluru, a man and his wife were arrested on Wednesday (November 26). Police said that the couple, identified as Shivakumar and Ramya, ran a manufacturing unit to make and sell counterfeit ghee under the ‘Nandini’ brand, owned by the Karnataka Co-operative Milk Producers' Federation (KMF).
High-tech equipment seized
During the raid on the unit by the Central Crime Branch (CCB), officials found high-tech industrial equipment being used to manufacture large-scale fake ‘Nandini’ ghee, police said, reported NDTV.
They further revealed that the machinery used in the fraudulent activity has been seized. Earlier, four men were arrested in relation to the case.
Suspicious supply patterns
The accused used ‘Nandini’ ghee’s high market demand to manufacture fake ghee and sold them as genuine. The racket was busted after internal checks were carried out due to suspicious supply patterns.
A joint team of the Central Crime Branch Special Investigation Squad and the KMF Vigilance Wing used secret intelligence to track the operation on November 14.
Godowns, shops and vehicles linked to Krishna Enterprises in Chamarajpet's Nanjamba Agrahara alleged supply hub-were raided by the investigators.
Assets worth Rs.1.26 crore seized
They seized a vehicle transporting adulterated packed ghee from Tamil Nadu, assets worth Rs 1.26 crore - including 8,136 litres of adulterated ghee worth Rs 56.95 lakh, machinery, coconut and palm oil used for mixing, five mobile phones, Rs 1.19 lakh in cash and four Bolero goods vehicles worth Rs 60 lakhs. They are also investigating whether animal fat was used in the ghee.
The Bengaluru police busted the adulteration racket producing fake Nandini ghee and arrested four men identified as Mahendra, Deepak, Muniraj, and Abhiarasu.
A vehicle carrying adulterated ghee from Tamil Nadu, already packed in fake Nandini sachets and bottles, was seized. Investigators recovered poor-quality palm and coconut oil and sent samples for testing to verify possible animal fat content.