Hyderabad: Police busted an unhygienic dry fruits sale operation in the Old City after a trader was caught allegedly selling spoiled dry fruits by falsely presenting them as good-quality products fit for consumption.
The Special Crime Team of the Central Crime Station (CCS), Hyderabad, along with the Food Adulteration Team and Bahadurpura Police, conducted a joint raid on March 12. Acting on credible information, officials apprehended a trader who was allegedly selling spoiled and unhygienic dry fruits to the public.
The accused was identified as Asawa Manish, 42, son of Asawa Manohar Lal, a businessman residing at Chelapura in Charminar. Officials said he was operating a godown under the name GEM Foods (Imports and Exports) in the same locality.
During the operation, enforcement teams seized 30 carton boxes containing large quantities of unhygienic dry fruits from the premises.
Unhygienic dry fruits stored in unsafe conditions
Investigators found that the seized unhygienic dry fruits were spoiled and unsuitable for human consumption. Officials said the products showed fungal growth and emitted a foul smell.
The dry fruits were also stored in unhygienic conditions inside the godown, which made them unsafe for consumption. Despite this, the accused allegedly sold them to customers by falsely claiming they were high-quality products.
Authorities said the act amounted to deceiving consumers by supplying contaminated food items in the market.
The raid was carried out by Inspector D. Bikshapathi of the Special Crime Team along with his staff. The Food Adulteration Team and Bahadurpura Police assisted the operation.
Senior officers supervised the action. ACP G. Venkateswar Reddy of the Special Crime Team, CCS, Hyderabad, oversaw the investigation and enforcement activity.
Officials said further action would follow based on the investigation and laboratory examination of the seized food products.
Meanwhile, authorities urged the public to remain cautious while purchasing food items, especially packaged or bulk products such as dry fruits. Consumers were advised to check the smell, appearance, and overall quality of food items before buying or consuming them.
Police also appealed to citizens to report the sale of spoiled, adulterated, or unhygienic food products to the nearest police station or food safety authorities.