New Delhi, July 3: In a major crackdown on food adulteration and consumer fraud, the Delhi Police’s Okhla Industrial Area Police Station has unearthed a highly organised syndicate allegedly involved in repackaging expired international branded food products, altering their manufacturing and expiry dates, and supplying them to retail markets as well as online platforms across India.
The operation led to the seizure of expired and tampered food products worth more than ₹20 lakh, along with sophisticated machinery used for changing manufacturing and expiry dates, counterfeit labels, fake nutrition stickers, barcodes and packaging material. Seven persons, including the owner of the company, have been arrested.
The action was carried out by a team of the South East District Police under the leadership of Inspector Anil Malik, SHO, Okhla Industrial Area, under the supervision of ACP Anil Sharma (Sarita Vihar) and the overall guidance of DCP Dr. Hemant Tiwari, IPS.
Raid Began Over Child Labour Tip-Off
According to Delhi Police, the operation was initially launched following specific intelligence regarding alleged child labour at M/s Westened Corporation Pvt. Ltd., located in Okhla Phase-II, New Delhi.
The inspection was conducted jointly by Delhi Police, officials from the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Badarpur), Mission Mukti Foundation and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Although no child labourers were found during the inspection, officials stumbled upon what police described as a large-scale illegal food tampering operation functioning inside the premises.
How the Alleged Racket Worked
During the investigation, police found that the company allegedly purchased near-expiry and expired food products of reputed domestic and international brands at throwaway prices.
The accused allegedly used chemical thinners to erase the original manufacturing and expiry dates printed on the products. Fresh dates were then printed using specialised printing machines. The products were further repackaged with fake nutrition labels, counterfeit barcodes, forged batch numbers and fabricated Maximum Retail Price (MRP) stickers, making them appear like newly manufactured goods.
After repackaging, the products were allegedly supplied in bulk to wholesale markets, retail outlets, shopping malls and e-commerce platforms across India, exposing unsuspecting consumers to potentially unsafe food products.
International Brands Among Seized Products
Police recovered a large quantity of expired and tampered products, including internationally known food and beverage brands such as:
- Thums Up
- Fanta
- Bournvita
- Horlicks
- Maggi Noodles
- Paper Boat Juices
- Ghee
- Two-litre soft drink bottles
- Soft drink cans
- Other packaged food and beverage products
Investigators said the recovery indicates that the syndicate had access to a wide range of branded consumer products.
Sophisticated Machinery Recovered
Apart from the food products, police seized equipment allegedly used to carry out the illegal operation, including:
- Printing machines
- Heat-sealing machines
- Date-modification equipment
- Chemical thinners
- Counterfeit nutrition labels
- Fake barcode stickers
- Fake batch labels
- Counterfeit MRP stickers
Police said the recovery confirms the existence of a well-organised manufacturing and repackaging facility dedicated to altering expired food products before reintroducing them into the market.
Seven Arrested
The seven accused arrested in the case have been identified as:
- Darshan Singh Sachdeva (70) – Owner
- Nitesh Bhardwaj (38) – Manager
- Narender Kumar (42) – Accountant
- Kapil (34) – Machine Operator
- Lucky Ojha (45) – Warehouse Keeper
- Prem Yadav (33) – Supervisor
- Pawan Kumar Yadav (32) – Supervisor
FIR Registered
Delhi Police has registered FIR No. 358/2026 at Police Station Okhla Industrial Area under Sections 275, 318(4), 336, 340 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Public Health Threat
Police said the racket posed a serious threat to public health and consumer safety, as expired food items were allegedly made to appear fresh before being sold to unsuspecting customers.
Investigators are now examining the syndicate’s distribution network, identifying retailers and online platforms that may have received the products, and tracing the source of the expired stock. Further investigation is underway to determine the full scale of the operation and identify additional individuals linked to the racket.
Authorities have advised consumers to remain vigilant while purchasing packaged food products, carefully check manufacturing and expiry dates, inspect packaging for signs of tampering, and report any suspicious products to the appropriate authorities.
