Police seize 720 kg fake paneer meant for Char Dham Yatra, two arrested, three absconding
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Dehradun police seized 720 kilogrammes of fake paneer that had arrived from Saharanpur for supply during the upcoming Char Dham Yatra. The police arrested two individuals and identified three others who are currently absconding.
The Dehradun senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh said that he received confidential information after which a joint team from Raipur police station and the Special Operations Group conducted a raid at a shop in Upper Ishwar Vihar, Raipur. During the operation, police observed a pickup van reportedly unloading large quantities of paneer outside the shop. The teams recovered approximately 600 kilogrammes of fake paneer from the warehouse inside the shop and another 120 kilogrammes from the van.
A team from the Food Safety department was called to test the paneer, which was confirmed to be fake. Police took shop owner Abdul Mannan and vehicle driver Arif into custody. They also destroyed the fake product on site, he said. Singh stated that during interrogation, the arrested individuals revealed that the fake paneer had been supplied by Manoj, Narendra Chaudhary and Shahrukh from a factory located in a forested area of Kasampur near Basebagh, Saharanpur. The three operate the unit in partnership.
Based on this information, police registered a case against all five individuals under sections 123 and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police formed teams to search for the absconding accused at possible locations. Singh shared the factory details with the commissioner of Food Safety in Saharanpur. Following this, a team led by the assistant commissioner of Food Safety, the sub-divisional magistrate of Behat and officials from the Saharanpur Food Safety department raided the factory. The team seized 16 quintals of fake paneer, chemicals and equipment used in its production. Authorities destroyed the recovered products and sealed the factory.
The two arrested individuals have been identified as Abdul Mannan, a resident of Ishwar Vihar, Raipur Road and Arif, a resident of Bairagiwala, Sahaspur. The three absconding accused are Manoj Kumar from Herbertpur, Shahrukh from Kunja Grant and Narendra Singh from Chhotuwala, all from the Vikasnagar area of Dehradun. The investigation is ongoing, the SSP added.
