New Delhi: Delhi Police‘s Crime Branch has busted a syndicate allegedly involved in importing expired food items from abroad, repackaging them and selling them as fresh products, posing serious health risks to consumers. Expired food products worth about Rs 4.3 crore were seized and seven people were arrested during raids in Sadar Bazar.The seized consignment comprised 43,762 kg of food items and 14,665 litres of beverages. It included chocolates, biscuits, wafers, candies and chips weighing 6,047 kg, and ketchup, sauces, vinegar and mayonnaise weighing 23,050 kg.“Acting on a tip-off, raids were conducted at Pahari Dheeraj and Faiz Ganj in Sadar Bazar, which is known for wholesale markets,” deputy commissioner of police (Crime) Harsh Indora said. Officials from the Food Safety Department of the Delhi govt were called to the spot, samples were drawn and the items were seized, he added. Seven people, including the alleged mastermind Atal Jaiswal (54), who also owned the godown, were arrested. The others arrested have been identified as Shiv Kumar (40), Bishwajit Dhara (25), Vinod (43), Arun Kumar (30), Vijay Kant (50) and Shamim (30). Police revealed that Jaiswal allegedly procured near-expiry food products at cheap prices through Mumbai-based agents, who sourced the items from the UK, US and Dubai.
