Unit selling expired products busted in Okhla, 7 arrested

Delhi Police arrested seven in a food tampering racket, seizing ₹20 lakh worth of expired goods repackaged with fake dates, risking public health.

The Delhi Police on Friday busted an organised food tampering racket operating out of an industrial unit in Okhla Phase-II, arresting seven people, including the owner of the company, and seizing expired food and beverage products worth over ₹20 lakh that were allegedly repackaged and sold with manipulated expiry dates, police said.

Unit selling expired products busted in Okhla, 7 arrested

Deputy commissioner of police (south east) Hemant Tiwari said that the accused allegedly “procured near-expiry and expired products of leading brands at throwaway prices, erased their original manufacturing and expiry dates using chemical thinners, and printed fresh dates before repackaging them with fake nutrition labels, barcodes and MRP stickers”.

The raid was conducted jointly by the police, officials from the sub-divisional magistrate’s office, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), and NGO Mission Mukti Foundation at a unit in Okhla Industrial Area. Police said the inspection was initially carried out following information about alleged child labour at the premises, but no child workers were found.

Instead, police said they recovered large quantities of allegedly tampered products, including soft drinks, health drinks, ghee, instant noodles and packaged juices, along with printing machines, sealing equipment and date-modification machinery.

An FIR has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police said the products were allegedly supplied to retail markets, malls and e-commerce platforms across India, “posing a serious risk to public health”.