Other States - Orissa

Fake goods manufacturing unit raided

BERHAMPUR: The city police unearthed a fake branded food material producing unit from Gandhi Nagar area on Friday.

The unit was manufacturing fake ‘desi ghee’, premium leaf tea and gutka of reputed brands. The police team arrested three persons from the unit. But they were all workers of the unit. Police are interrogating them to find out the kingpin behind the racket. The persons arrested during the raid had also been arrested during another raid on a fake milk powder packet manufacturing unit in the city in the past. They seem to be master craftsmen of fake food material packaging process.

The fake goods manufacturing unit started its operation in Gandhi Nagar area around eight months ago.

According to Inspector in-charge of the town police station, Abhimanyu Nayak, the miscreants were transforming cheap ‘vanaspati’ into ‘desi ghee’ of a reputed brand using essence and colouring agent. Similarly they were using coloured saw dust and cheap tea loose powder to manufacture premium leaf tea of a reputed brand. Tamarind seed powder, red soil was used to manufacture gutka.

In the past similar raids in the city unearthed large units manufacturing various fake consumer goods including mosquito repellent liquids, butter, ghee, milk powder, tea packets and pan masala, cooking ingredients, cosmetics, incense sticks, bidi etc of premier brands. The goods get supplied throughout the State making Berhampur a major den of fake goods.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu