Overview
- A joint team of the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force and the FSDA raided an unlicensed house-based unit in Shahpur village and arrested one man identified as Mohammad Shakeel following a tip-off on Saturday.
- Officials seized about 763–800 kilograms of suspected adulterated tea, roughly 3.9–5 kg of colouring agents, a packing machine, an electronic weighing and sealing machine, and nearly 150 kg of empty plastic wrappers.
- Investigators say the operation used low-grade or waste tea leaves reportedly sourced from Assam, mixed them with chemical colouring and flavouring agents, and packaged the product under fake brand names such as Fast-Tea and Garden Fresh for sale.
- A criminal case has been registered at Baddupur police station under specified sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, seized stock worth about Rs 1.5–1.6 lakh has been sealed, and samples have been sent to the laboratory for forensic analysis.
- The joint raid highlights how local food-safety teams work with the STF to trace organised supply chains and the next steps will focus on lab findings, identifying downstream distributors in neighbouring districts, and assessing consumer health risk.