The Delhi Police Crime Branch has uncovered a large scale food safety racket in which expired and near expiry food products imported from the United Kingdom, the United States and Dubai were illegally repackaged and sold across India as fresh goods. The operation led to the arrest of seven individuals and the seizure of food and beverages worth approximately ₹4.3 crore, officials confirmed.
The case has raised serious concerns about consumer safety, particularly as the products were supplied to premium retail stores and online platforms that cater to urban and health conscious buyers.
During coordinated raids carried out on December 23 and 24, the Crime Branch seized over 43,700 kilograms of packaged food items and more than 14,600 liters of beverages. The recovered stock included biscuits, wafers, chocolates, snacks, sauces, spreads, condiments and soft drinks.
At these facilities, the accused altered expiry dates, changed batch numbers, replaced labels and affixed fake barcodes and maximum retail prices. Starbucks, Nescafe, Lindt, Kikkoman, Lipton, Fanta and Lays. Alarmingly, baby food items were also among the seized goods.
Officials said many of these products had already crossed their expiry dates or were close to expiring at the time of import.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Aditya Gautam, the accused sourced expired or near expiry food consignments at extremely low prices through wholesale suppliers based in Mumbai. These products were then transported to Delhi, where the syndicate ran illegal repackaging units.
At these facilities, the accused altered expiry dates, changed batch numbers, replaced labels and affixed fake barcodes and maximum retail prices. Police recovered sealing machines, printing equipment and forged packaging materials, indicating a systematic and professional operation.
Once repackaged, the products were distributed to high end grocery stores, shopping malls and online marketplaces across multiple cities.
The alleged mastermind of the racket, Atal Jaiswal, aged 54, was arrested along with six others. The arrested individuals include Shiv Kumar from Jharkhand, Bishwajit Dhara from Malviya Nagar in Delhi, Vinod and Arun Kumar from Darbhanga in Bihar, Vijay Kant from Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, and Shamim from Etah in Uttar Pradesh.
Police conducted raids in the Pahari Dheeraj and Faiz Ganj areas of Sadar Bazar in North Delhi after receiving specific intelligence inputs from the Crime Branch cyber cell.
Officials from the Delhi government’s food safety department were present during the raids and collected samples for laboratory testing.
Investigators revealed that the tampered products were supplied to premium grocery outlets including Modern Bazaar, Nature’s Basket and Food Story, along with other retail chains and e commerce platforms. Authorities believe the network operated across several states and generated substantial illegal profits.
A case has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police say further investigation is underway to trace the full supply chain, identify buyers, and prevent similar threats to public health.
(Rh/ARC)