Brahmapur: In a major crackdown on illegal production of adulterated food products, the Badabazar police busted two fake spice manufacturing facilities in Odisha’s silk city of Brahmapur late Sunday night.
According to sources, the coordinated raids resulted in the seizure of around 3000 kg of spurious turmeric and chilli powder, four milling machines, processing tools, and unbranded packaging materials. Two individuals, one premises at Seventh Lane in Laxmi Nrusingha Nagar and another in Prahallad Nagar, were into custody for detailed interrogation regarding the manufacturing, sourcing, and distribution network.
At the Laxmi Nrusingha Nagar unit, officers discovered large sacks of turmeric and chilli powder stored in loose form. Preliminary findings indicate that the operators mixed colouring agents and rice bran powder into the spices before packaging them for sale at reduced prices in Brahmapur and surrounding areas. The facility lacked GST registration, and the packets carried no brand names or proper labelling.
A simultaneous search at the second facility in Prahallad Nagar yielded similar seizures of processing machinery, raw additives, and spurious finished goods.
Samples from both processing sites have been sent to the state food testing laboratory for comprehensive chemical analysis to identify the exact toxic substances and industrial dyes used. Two separate cases have been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Food Safety and Standards Act.
Officials confirmed that further legal action will follow once the analytical report is received, as part of an ongoing enforcement drive, targeting counterfeit food and beverage operations across the region.