Delhi Police bust fake protein powder racket; 7,000 kg sold across NCR in two years

Delhi Police uncovered a fake protein powder racket, arresting two men who sold over 7,000 kg of cheap ingredients as branded supplements in Delhi-NCR.

The investigation into the fake protein powder racket busted by Delhi Police on Saturday has revealed that the accused sold more than 7,000 kilograms of corn starch, milk powder, and other cheap agents as branded protein powder through shops and delivery platforms across Delhi-NCR over the past two years, investigators said on Wednesday.

The accused were getting orders in bulk and would then source the boxes and make stickers, said police.

The racket, investigators privy with the case details said, came to light on Saturday when the Crime Branch raided a factory in the Brahmapuri area, recovering over 155 kg of fake protein powder and raw material being packaged into boxes with labels of popular brands including Optimum Nutrition, Syntha-6, and Isopure. Two men, Mohit Tiwari and Mohit Dixit, were arrested.

The accused, investigators said, had sold more than 7,000kg of the fake protein powder in the last two years and had deployed more than a dozen people in the racket.

A team led by assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Umesh Barthwal and inspector Rampal found that the accused maintained only 100-200 kg of supply at a time to avoid suspicion.

“They were getting orders in bulk and would then source the boxes and make stickers. As per our estimates, the gang pushed out more than 7,000 kg of fake protein powder with hardly any protein content,” an investigator, who asked not to be identified, said.

The accused used cheap corn starch, milk powder, and mixing agents, and even purchased commercial kitchen equipment such as mixer-grinders. They operated with a staff of over a dozen people who helped source boxes and stickers, manufacture the product, and sell it, according to the investigator cited above.

While most sales occurred through retailers and shops in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram, investigators found the gang had also begun selling through online marketplaces for faster delivery. “We are looking into the stickers and wrappers they used, where these were manufactured, and with whose help. It appears other syndicates also used such wrappers to sell fake products of popular supplement brands,” the investigator added.

DCP (Crime) Pankaj Kumar said that the materials used could cause serious organ diseases. “They had genuine-looking pouches, boxes, hologram stickers. We are also looking for accused involved in the supply chain, source of raw materials, and distribution network.”

Police said Tiwari, who previously sold Ayurvedic medicines and supplements, used his contacts to buy materials in bulk. He and associate Anil Biswa also supplied supplements to gyms and had established retailer connections.