Bolangir: Acting on a tip-off, Town police busted a turmeric powder adulteration unit at Club Pada here and seized a huge consignment of rice powder, husk, white chemical and leaves and twigs of trees, Monday.
Police also detained the proprietor of the unit Rajesh Sharma and one of his associates during the raid. The three were taken into custody and being questioned in this connection. Police sent the seized items for laboratory examination and informed the food inspector on the development, SDPO Sumant Barik said. Further investigations were on, the SDPO added.
Police said Sharma who was running a provision shop nearby had established the factory and adulterating turmeric powder and selling them in the market in the name of ATM Spices Company of Chhattisgarh. He was adulterating the turmeric powder by using rice powder, husk, white chemical powder and leaves and twigs of trees. During verification some seized turmeric packets were found to have been expired. Police suspected that Sharma was using his shop as a business point to deliver the adulterated turmeric packets in the district and outside.
When contacted, Sharma rejected the charges stating that he was actually manufacturing Rangoli for sale in the market.
PNN