India: Over 28 tonnes of fake cumin seeds seized in factory bust

The spice was made using grass, jaggery vinegar and rock powder

By PTI

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Published: Thu 20 Oct 2022, 11:09 PM

The Delhi Polices Crime Branch smashed an illegal plant that allegedly produced fake cumin seeds and arrested its owner, officials said on Thursday.

The 43-year-old defendant was identified as Suresh Gupta, a resident of Budh Vihar, Phase I. He ran a factory to produce fake cumin seeds using grass, jaggery vinegar and rock powder, officials said.


Police said more than 400 bags of fake cumin seeds were recovered, weighing more than 28 tonnes in total, adding that the value of the items recovered exceeded Rs10 million.

Special Police Commissioner (Crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said police had received information about a factory that produced fake seeds.


“Our team acted swiftly and raided the site and Gupta, the owner of an illegal factory, was detained and more than 400 bags of fake caraway seeds weighing about 70 kg each were recovered,” he said.

“The fake cumin seeds have been made so well that no one can tell the difference when they’re not real, ”he added.

The officer said these seeds were mixed with real caraway seeds and sold in the market.

“While no prior criminal history has been found against him, it is suspected that Gupta has been involved in this activity for years. He often changed factory addresses. This particular factory was recently launched by him. This time he tried to deliver a huge package, but was caught by the Criminal Police Department, ” said the special police (crime) commissioner.

The police said that an investigation was underway.


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