Sanjay Pandita
Early Times Report
Jammu, July 29: In a major crackdown on the illegal distribution of adulterated food products, the Food Safety Department of Jammu province on Tuesday seized 49,500 kilograms of duplicate Rasgulla from an unauthorized cold storage facility in Bishnah—just four days after recovering 800 kilograms of spurious cheese (paneer) from a bus coming from Delhi.
Deputy Commissioner, Food Safety Jammu, Darshan Mangotra, confirmed the seizure to Early Times, stating that a departmental team recovered 2,750 tins of suspected counterfeit Rasgulla from the Bishnah facility.
“Samples from the seized tins have been sent to the laboratory for detailed analysis, but preliminary inspection suggests that the Rasgulla is counterfeit,” Mangotra said. He added that the cold storage facility was not authorized to store ready-to-eat food products.
“The storage unit is permitted only for agricultural commodities. Moreover, the standard operating procedures (SoPs) for storing processed food were grossly violated,” he noted.
This development follows a major recovery of 800 kilograms of duplicate cheese on July 25 In a major crackdown on the illegal distribution of adulterated food products, the Food Safety Department seized 49,500 kilograms of duplicate Rasgulla.
A departmental team recovered 2,750 tins of suspected counterfeit Rasgulla from the Bishnah facility.
The cold storage facility was not authorized to store ready-to-eat food products. “The storage unit is permitted only for agricultural commodities.
This development follows a major recovery of 800 kilograms of duplicate cheese on July 25 by the Bagh-e-Bahu Police.
The bus, bearing registration number AP-20B-0888, was stopped at Naka Point Bravo-03 by a police team led by SHO Bagh-e-Bahu under the supervision of SDPO East, SP South, and SSP Jammu. The driver was identified as Abdul Ahad, son of Abdul Khaliq, resident of Loran Kharpa, Poonch.
During the interception, two individuals—Arif Hussain (R/O Malik Market), driving auto JK02DG-1890, and Mysir Bhat (R/O Magam, Kokernag), driving auto JK02CN-2757—were found unloading the duplicate paneer, allegedly meant for distribution to dairy stores across Jammu city.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the consignment belonged to Mohd Iqbal, son of Bashir Ahmed, and Manzoor Ahmad Sardan, son of Mehboob Ahmed Sardan—both hailing from Kokernag and currently residing at Bus Stand Jammu.
The Food Safety Department was immediately informed, and samples were collected for testing. Further investigations are underway to uncover the full extent of the distribution network involved in this illegal food trade. |
