Spurious tea powder worth 3.55 L seized, 1 held

Vijayawada: City Task Force police arrested a trader and seized spurious and low-quality tea powder valued at Rs 3.55 lakh in Gulabi Thota area under the Machavaram police station limits on Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off, the police team under the supervision of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police K V Srinivasa Rao, Assistant Commissioner of Police K Suryachandra Rao, raided the residence of accused Ganta Bhaskara Rao in Gulabti Thota and seized 1,200 kgs of low-quality tea powder, 452 kgs of spurious tea powder and 142 kgs of synthetic and tetragin.

The trader mixed the low-quality powder with synthetic material to produce spurious tea powder, which is very harmful. With the consumption of spurious tea powder, the consumers may face risk of nervous problems, migraine headache and cancer.

Speaking to media, Commissioner of Police Dwaraka Tirumala Rao informed the spurious tea powder was harmful and could lead to cancer also. The accused Ganta Bhaskara Rao sold one kg of spurious tea powder between Rs 150 to Rs 200 to hotels and tea kiosks. The price of spurious tea powder is very low compared to the price of branded tea powder, which is sold between Rs 300-400 a kg.

Small hoteliers and petty traders are purchasing the harmful tea powder at low price and earning profits. The accused sold the tea to hoteliers in Guntur, Mangalagiri, Sattenapalli, Kakinada, Eluru, Vijayawada, Pamarru and Vuyyuru. Dwaraka Tirumala Rao said the trader was doing the business without taking permission from concerned departments.