Noida: Three men were arrested for manufacturing fake protein powder out of a factory in Sector 63 late on Monday night.
The arrests came after a Chandni Chowk resident, Atin Singhal, reported severe health ailments, including liver infection and skin diseases, after consuming protein powder he had bought online.
DCP (Central Noida) Shakti Mohan Avasthy said a team raided the factory after Singhal submitted a complaint and arrested Sahil Yadav (27), Harsh Agarwal (28) and Amit Chaubey (30), all residents of neighbouring Ghaziabad.
Thirty-three boxes of adulterated protein powder, 2,050 small boxes of capsules, 5,500 empty boxes, printing and packing machines, and other duplicate items used in manufacturing protein powder were recovered from the factory in Block G of the sector.
The accused did not have a food safety department's licence or documents to run the factory, police said. A Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licence categorised under the nutraceuticals regulations is required to manufacture protein powder as it is considered a health supplement.
"The food department was called in, and its team checked the powder and found it was adulterated," DCP Avasthy said. Samples found at the site have been sent for tests.
Yadav allegedly told cops that he had earlier worked with a Haryana factory that was involved in making protein powder. "After learning the process of making powder, he apparently got an idea to make protein powder from cheaper materials and add adulterants to make more money. Along with Agarwal, he had opened the factory on Dec 1," Sector 63 SHO Avdhesh Pratap Singh said.
The two men had hired Chaubey as a manager and started selling the adulterated powder under two different brand names on e-commerce sites.
"The accused invested Rs 1,800 for a 2.5kg pack and sold it for Rs 8,500. We are trying to find out how many boxes they have sold in the last 10 days," the SHO added.
An FIR was registered under BNS section 318(4) (cheating) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) at the Sector 63 police station. MSID:: 116178237 413 |