Farmers catch van drivers while adulterating milk

Bengaluru: Local farmers discovered that a driver tasked with transporting milk collected from farmers to the cooler station, was involved in the theft of milk. The adulteration involved diluting the stolen milk with an equivalent amount of water. The driver was apprehended by vigilant farmers who had gathered evidence to expose illegal activities.

The incident occurred during the transportation of milk from Machanahalli village to the bulk milk cooler center of Kengal Kempohalli in Nelamangala taluk on Saturday night. While en route through the Avverahalli industrial area, a driver surreptitiously stole milk from the consignments. He then added an equal amount of water, a practice known as adulteration, resulting in milk of reduced quality and volume. The illicit activities came to light when farmers, caught him red-handed

It has been alleged that Umesh, the owner of one of the milk vans involved in the adulteration , was surreptitiously doing it everyday. The adulterated milk was reportedly being sold in various locations, including Sompur and Honnenahalli Dairy, allowing them to profit illegally. There are suspicions that some officials, including from Kengal Kempohalli milk Dairy, might be complicit in the illicit operation.

R. Bhaskar, the Director of BAMUL in Nelamangala, has promised decisive action against this case of adulteration. He stated that BAMUL’s central unit’s daily reports did not reveal any issues related to adulteration or milk fat content in Route 13. Nevertheless, he emphasized the need for a comprehensive investigation and the imposition of disciplinary actions. He said measures to enhance supervision of the association’s secretary during milk transfer will be implemented to prevent such occurrences in the future.