Produced in Tamil Nadu, sold in Bengaluru and consumed across the city with trust - this is the tale of fake ghee sold under the brand 'Nandini', owned by the Karnataka Co-operative Milk Producer's Federation (KMF). In a breakthrough, the Bengaluru police have dismantled a large interstate adulteration network that was providing the city with fake Nandini ghee and arrested four men involved in the operations of the racket.
4 men arrested for operating fake Nandini ghee racket - Mahendra, Deepak, Muniraj and Abhiarasu.
Nandini, one of South India's most trusted dairy brands, has a massive market demand, which the accused exploited by preparing adulterated ghee and passing it off as genuine.
The racket came to light after suspicious supply patterns triggered internal checks. On Friday (November 14), a joint team from the Central Crime Branch Special Investigation Squad and the KMF Vigilance Wing tracked the operation based on secret intelligence.
The investigators raided godowns, shops, and vehicles linked to Krishna Enterprises in Chamarajpet's Nanjamba Agrahara believed to be the supply hub.
During the operation, a vehicle transporting adulterated ghee from Tamil Nadu already packed in fake Nandini sachets and plastic bottles was intercepted and seized.
Some samples are also being tested to determine whether animal fat was mixed in. Poor grade palm oil and coconut oil were also recovered during the raids.
During the raids, the cops seized assets worth Rs 1.26 crore. This includes 8,136 liters of adulterated ghee worth Rs 56.95 lakh, machinery used to manufacture fake ghee, coconut and palm oil used for mixing, five mobile phones, Rs 1.19 lakh in cash and four Bolero goods vehicles valued at Rs 60 lakh.
A case has been registered under the CCB Special Investigation Division, and further probe is underway, including Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) lab testing to confirm the extent of adulteration.
The arrested people are identified as Mahendra, a KMF distributor, his son Deepak, Muniraju, and Abhiarasu.
