Food adulteration: Two arrested, milk production unit sealed

Chemical hazardous for health found at the factory seized by the raiding team.

MULTAN:

Two people were arrested in Layyah, and a milk production unit sealed, after some hazardous chemicals were found there, in a raid on Thursday.

The factory in Eidgah Colony was raided by the district administration and the police on a tip off by some people of the area.

The raiding team seized five barrels of sinopol, a detergent, and 500 kilogrammes of other chemical used in the production, including glycerol monocaprylate.

One of the suspects has been identified in the FIR as Muhammad Tariq. Talking to The Express Tribune at the police station, Tariq said he had been associated with the business for three years.

The third suspect identified in the FIR as the owner of the factory, Mazhar Ahmed, is still at large.

An official at the Layyah city model police station said a team had been formed to arrest him.

The FIR mentions Sections 420 (cheating and dishonest delivery of property), 272(adulteration of food or drink intended for sale), 482 (using a false trade-mark or property mark), 487 (making a false mark upon any receptacle containing goods), 488 (punishment for making use of any such false mark) and 23 (wrongful gain) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

District Officer (Health) Dr Khalid Naeem said the chemicals found from the factory were hazardous for human health, in particular for children and pregnant women.  He said a report about the incident would be sent to the provincial Health Department so that those involved in the activity in other cities could also be identified.

Assistant Commissioner Farooq Ahmed said a campaign would soon be started to request people to report such scams in their neighbourhoods. He said teams had been formed to carry out raids across the city to check adulteration of foodstuff.

The Thursday’s raid was led by Assistant Commissioner Farooq Ahmed, Sub Inspector Fazal Ahmed and Sanitary Inspector Muhammad Ayub.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10^th, 2012.