Toxic tea powder making racket busted, 3 arrested

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Commissioner’s Task Force Central Zone team raided a godown situated at Fathe Nagar, in Balanagar, and busted a major racket of making adulterated tea powder by using toxic chemicals. The police apprehended three persons and seized a huge quantity of adulterate tea powder and other chemicals worth Rs 2 lakh from their possession.

The arrested persons were: Bishoya Jagannath (32), the prime accused and proprietor of Konark Tea Powder Sales & Suppliers; Pratap Pradan (21); and Sivswain Parida (19). Jagannath was earlier arrested in three cases of food adulteration. The police seized 300 kg of spurious tea powder, 200 kg of coconut shell powder, toxic colours (sunset and tyatrazen), flavour bottles (chocolate, cardamom, and milk flavour), and other materials.

According to the police, Jagannath used to purchase low-quality tea powder from the market for Rs 80-100 a kg, mix it with coconut shell powder, toxic chemical essence, and applied flavours before selling for Rs 200-250 a kg, thus gaining easy illegal profit. The police said for preparing and marketing the adulterated tea powder, he engaged two associates, Pratap and Sivswain, a native of Odisha, to prepare adulterated tea powder in godown and market in and around Hyderabad.

On October 8, the TF team raided the godown, apprehended them, and later handed them over to the Department of Food Safety, Circle-23, Hyderabad, for further action. The police said adulterated tea powder is mostly bought by roadside tea vendors. Small traders used to purchase duplicate tea powder at a low price. The toxic ingredients used are hazardous for human health. There are chances of food poisoning if consumed in higher quantities. Consuming substances like coconut shell husk can cause jaundice and typhoid, while chemical flavour may result in allergy or intestine cancer.