₹4.3 cr expired food racket busted

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police has busted a major organised racket involved in the illegal import and repackaging of expired branded food products, seizing goods worth around Rs 4.3 crore, officials said on Tuesday. Seven people, including the alleged mastermind Atal Jaiswal (54), were arrested following raids at Pahari Dheeraj and Faiz Ganj in Sadar Bazar.

The seized items included expired baby food, beverages, biscuits, chocolates, sauces, snacks and other consumables, which were allegedly sold through retail chains, malls and e-commerce platforms, posing a serious public health risk. Investigators said the racket sourced near-expiry or expired international products from countries such as the UK, US and Dubai, and altered manufacturing and expiry dates, labels, barcodes, batch numbers and MRPs before repackaging them.

Police recovered printing, sealing and date-altering machinery, confirming a full-fledged adulteration and repackaging unit. Officials from the Delhi Food Safety Department drew samples and seized the recovered stock. Other arrested individuals include Shiv Kumar, Bishwajit Dhara, Vinod, Arun Kumar, Vijay Kant and Shamim. Further investigation is underway to trace the distribution network and additional culprits.