Hyderabad raids seize 11 tonnes of adulterated, expired spices; two held

Hyderabad police and food safety officials seized over 11 tonnes of adulterated and expired spice products during raids at two units in Medipally and Ramanthapur on Thursday. The operations, conducted under the M-FAST initiative, uncovered alleged mixing of sawdust and stems into chilli powder, and repackaging of expired goods with fresh dates.

The Special Operations Team (SOT) Malkajgiri, SOT Cantonment, Uppal Police, and the Malkajgiri Food Adulteration Surveillance Team carried out the simultaneous raids. In Medipally, the teams inspected Sai Thirumala Enterprises in Srinivas Nagar Colony, where they found that chilli powder allegedly contained powdered stems and sawdust, with the adulterants accounting for around 20–30% of the product.

According to an officer involved in the raid, low-quality materials were also being used in other products. “Branches and stems were allegedly mixed into the coriander powder. In turmeric powder, the outer layer and material discarded during the initial cleaning process were ground and mixed into the product,” the officer said.

The seizure at Sai Thirumala Enterprises included 10,890 kg of food material: 2,300 kg of turmeric powder, 3,350 kg of chilli powder, 5,140 kg of coriander powder, and 100 kg of garam masala. The total value of the seized material was estimated at around ₹25 lakh. Police said the unit was using duplicate or look-alike packaging of the ‘Swadeshi Swastik’ brand. Two persons, Sathya Narayana and Rudra Shekar, were apprehended and handed over to Medipally police for further legal action.

In the second raid at V Mehak Masalas in Ramanthapur, officials found that expired or unsuitable-for-sale spice products were allegedly being repacked with new dates and prepared for sale. The products included Prasiddhi Red Chilli Powder, Prasiddhi Turmeric Powder, and Spice Master Coriander Powder.

Officials seized 330 kg of such expired or unsuitable products, comprising 210 kg of red chilli powder, 60 kg of turmeric powder, and 60 kg of coriander powder. They also seized 400 kg of jeera, 1,750 kg of haldi, 25 kg of dhaniya, 53 kg of haldi material, and five processing machines. The total property seized was valued at around ₹1.25 crore.

The supervisor, Devnani Bhupesh, 23, was apprehended, while the proprietor, Kavita Naresh Devnani, 48, was reported to be absconding. The M-FAST initiative, which stands for the food adulteration surveillance teams operating with police, aims to curb food safety violations across the city.

Following the raids, police advised consumers to check manufacturing and expiry or best-before dates, batch numbers, FSSAI details, and packaging before purchasing food products. Authorities have urged citizens to report any suspicious food items to the helpline.

The accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Indian Penal Code. Further investigation is underway.