- Raid at Aliya Ice Cream Parlour in Hyderabad found unhygienic food production conditions
- Owner arrested for using chemicals and poor-quality ingredients in products
- Police seized large quantities of ice candies, lassi, ingredients, and production machinery
The heat has risen with the arrival of summer, and so has the demand for refreshing food and beverages like ice cream and lassi. However, as demand increases, it becomes important to check whether the packaged foods you consume are safe. Amid ongoing food inspections in Hyderabad, the Commissioner's Task Force, Golconda Zone, along with Mehdipatnam Police, conducted a raid on "Aliya Ice Cream Parlour" at Ahmed Nagar, First Lancer, Bada Bazar, Mehdipatnam, Hyderabad.
Police arrested the owner, Syed Musharafuddin, 24, a resident of Ahmed Nagar, for manufacturing and supplying ice candies and lassi in dirty surroundings using chemicals and poor-quality ingredients to earn illegal profits.
During the raid, police found a large quantity of stock and machinery at the unit. They seized 92 packets of ice candies, each containing 180 pieces, and 20 packets of lassi candies with 210 pieces in each packet. Around 300 glasses filled with lassi were also recovered.
Apart from this, officials also seized 15 buckets of curd weighing about 10 kg each, 50 kg of sugar, 8 kg of citric acid and 500 grams of sucrose. Police also found mango, orange and blueberry flavours being used in the preparation.
The team seized one ice candy-making machine, one lassi-making machine, three packing machines, two hand-packing machines, and one machine used to pack lassi glasses. Six refrigerators and several packing covers were also taken into custody.
According to police, the total value of the seized material is around Rs 5.44 lakh.
Also Read: 4,000 Kg Fake Ginger-Garlic Paste Busted In Hyderabad, Items Worth Rs 22 Lakh Seized
Pictures and videos from the incident show the unhygienic production and storage conditions of the ice cream unit, with several ingredients placed directly on the dirty floor.
''The accused was manufacturing the products in an unhygienic manner and was using harmful chemicals while supplying them to customers in different parts of the city,'' said ADCP, Task Force A Srinivas Rao.
"He was making these products only to earn illegal profits and was cheating innocent people by selling unsafe food items," the officer added.
A case has been registered against Musharafuddin at Mehdipatnam police station under sections related to the sale of unsafe food and causing harm to the public.
Police said further investigation is underway to find out where the products were being supplied and whether more people were involved in the business.
Previously, in March, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) shut down an ice candy manufacturing unit in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, after an inspection revealed multiple food safety violations that posed a potential risk to public health. The inspection also found that unsafe water was being used during the production process.
