Bengaluru CCB Busts Interstate Fake Nandini Ghee Racket Worth ₹1.26 Crore
Four arrested as police uncover two-year operation producing and selling adulterated ghee across the city.
Bengaluru’s Central Crime Branch (CCB), along with the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) Vigilance Wing, has dismantled a major interstate racket that produced adulterated ghee in Tamil Nadu and sold it in Bengaluru using fake Nandini packaging.
Four people — including a KMF distributor, his son, and two associates — have been arrested. Officers seized 8,136 litres of adulterated ghee valued at ₹1.26 crore, four delivery vehicles, machinery used to prepare the fake product, and large quantities of coconut and palm oil used in the adulteration process.
Investigators found that the gang was producing nearly three litres of adulterated ghee from just one litre of genuine ghee, significantly diluting the product before packaging it in counterfeit Nandini sachets and bottles.
The adulterated ghee was supplied to a licensed KMF dealer in Bengaluru, who, along with family members, distributed it to wholesalers, retailers, and Nandini parlours at full market price. Confirming this, KMF Managing Director B. Shivaswamy said, “One of the accused is a KMF dealer, which facilitated the distribution of the adulterated products.”
The crackdown followed coordinated intelligence-based raids by the CCB’s special investigation squad and the KMF Vigilance Wing. The accused have been identified as Mahendra, a KMF distributor; his son Deepak; Muniraju, who transported the spurious ghee from Tamil Nadu; and driver Abhi Arasu.
Raids were carried out at godowns, shops, and vehicles linked to Krishna Enterprises in Nanjamba Agrahara, Chamarajpet — a business owned by the accused and their family members. A vehicle carrying adulterated ghee from Tamil Nadu was intercepted, and driver Arasu was arrested on the spot.
Police seized five mobile phones, four goods vehicles worth ₹60 lakh, ₹1.19 lakh in cash, fake Nandini-branded sachets and bottles, and cans of coconut and palm oil used for adulteration.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said, “We received specific information from the KMF Vigilance Wing. The unit producing the adulterated ghee was in Tiruppur district, Tamil Nadu. We are collecting more details on the main accused. This racket has been active for the last two years.”
The operation highlights the scale of food adulteration in the region and the ongoing efforts of law enforcement agencies to protect consumers from unsafe and fraudulent products.
