Sambhal, August 10, 2025 – In a major crackdown on food fraud, the Uttar Pradesh police raided a counterfeit ghee operation in Sambhal on Friday, seizing 923 litres of fake desi ghee and arresting five men involved in the racket. The operation, carried out by the Dhanari police and Special Operations Group (SOG) near Khajra Mod, uncovered a gang producing fake ghee using harmful ingredients and selling it under well-known brand names like Amul, Madhusudan, and Mother Dairy.
The arrested individuals, identified as Ashu Jain, Sudesh Jain, and Avid from Meerut, along with Praveen Jain and Arun Kumar from Baraut in Baghpat district, were caught with 41 cardboard boxes of 900-ml fake Amul ghee packets, 20 tins of 15-kg Madhusudan ghee, and packaging materials. Police also recovered equipment like gas stoves, a 40-litre soaking machine, packing machines, and artificial ghee essence used to mimic the smell of pure ghee. The gang mixed Dalda and refined oil with the essence to create the counterfeit product, which was then packed in branded wrappers and supplied to markets, primarily in small shops and rural areas.
Officers revealed that the gang had been running this illegal business for three years, selling an estimated 54,000 litres of fake ghee across Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-NCR. “They took advantage of festival seasons when demand for ghee spikes,” officers said, adding that the group also repackaged Mayur salt as Tata Salt and sold expired coffee in Nescafé jars. A Swift Dzire car and a mini truck used to transport the fake goods were also seized.
The police acted on a tip-off, intercepting the vehicles during a routine check on the Pathakpur-Sultangarh road. A follow-up raid at Praveen Jain’s home in Baraut uncovered more equipment and packaging materials. The accused have been charged under the Food Safety and Standards Act and the Trade Marks Act and sent to judicial custody. Authorities are now investigating the racket’s distribution network to determine how widely the fake ghee was circulated.
