1K litres of adulterated milk seized in Malad

14 Arrested, Accused Operated From Slum

 Look closely at your milk packet seal the next time it's delivered at your doorstep, chances are it has been tampered with. The police, along with the Food & Drugs Administration (FDA), arrested 14 people from Malad (W) early on Wednesday, with more than 1,000 litres of adulterated milk. 

    The kingpin, Raju (35), is on the run. He had earlier been arrested in February 2011 in another milk adulteration case. 
    The accused, which included a few women, were arrested in a joint operation by the FDA and the crime branch control around 
4.30am. Around 70 cops were involved in the operation. 
    "Male members of the gang would buy branded milk packets from company outlets and take them to a slum at Bangur Nagar. There, women would slit open a side of the packet and remove up to one third of the milk, replacing it with water. The adulterated milk would then be distributed by male members in housing societies and restaurants in the area adjacent to Inorbit Mall and Evershine Nagar in Malad," said senior inspector Rakesh Sharma of the crime branch control. Empty milk packets of various leading brands have been recovered. According to the police, the accused are from Andhra Pradesh but have been staying at Bangur Nagar for four to five months. Six motorbikes have been recovered from the gang, including one used by Raju. 
    The other accused are Banja Konda (25), Malaiya Bolam (35), Yadamma Bolam (30), Kolamma Konda (32), Venkatesh Gundagoni (36), Renuka Babu (40), Yadava Babu (48), Malaiya Kolam (28), Renu Mupida (26), Bharat Patel (44), Venkatesh Gundagoni (36), Ashok Konda (26), Menaka Konda (24) and Machhendra Suryavanshi (45). All have been handed over to the Bangur Nagar police and will be produced before a metropolitan court on Thursday. 
    "Residents had been complaining about adulterated milk. We have been planning the raid for sometime and conducted it after receiving specific information," said an official. 
    "Buyers must closely observe if the horizontal and vertical sealing of milk packets have been tampered with," said K V Sankhe, joint commissioner, Food & Drugs Administration. 
    Ashwin Bhadri of Equinox Labs added, "Buyers can come to know if their milk has been adulterated if it clots during boiling or if there's a drastic change in the milk's colour while making curds or other products." 
RAID IN BANGUR NAGAR 
WHERE | Police raid slum at Bangur Nagar, Malad (W) ACTION TAKEN |13, including 5 women, arrested SEIZED | 1,063 litres of adulterated milk, empty branded milk packets, six motorcycles CHARGES | Accused booked under Indian Penal Code for "adulteration of food or drink intended for sale", "cheating" and "using a false property mark". Also booked under Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR See if the horizontal or vertical sealing of your milk packets are tampered with In most cases, tampering is done at the corner of the packet Adulterators make a tiny slit from where they remove milk They seal the packet with the help of a candle, after adding some water to it Portion where the sealing has been burned with candle is smooth, compared to other portions of the sealing which are rough and irregular IS MY MILK ADULTERATED? 
Adulterated milk clots during boiling There's a drastic change in colour of milk while making curds or other products ADULTERANTS | Urea, bicarbonate, starch, salt, detergents, water, formalin, caustic soda, sodium chloride, skimmed milk powder, sugar

Malad residents have been complaining about adulterated milk being supplied to them

The accused operate from a slum behind a shoe showroom in Bangur Nagar, Malad (W)

Male members of the gang buy branded milk packets from company outlets

At the slum, women will slit open a packet, remove some milk and replace it with water

The men then distribute adulterated milk in housing societies and restaurants