2,262 litres of ‘spurious’ desi ghee seized

Ludhiana: Khanna police on Friday seized 2,262 litres of ‘spurious’ desi ghee from a checkpost near a mall on GT Road. Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Dhruv Dahiya said during the checking of suspected vehicles, police team saw a Bolero jeep (Reg No. HR-65-A-7336) coming from Gobindgarh side. After cops stopped the vehicle, the driver identified himself as Harit Bhardwaj of Bishan Colony in Kurukshetra (Haryana).
The officer said they recovered 2,262 litres of desi ghee (approx 20 quintal), after which the driver was detained.During questioning, Harit told police that the consignment was to be supplied in Pathankot and Amritsar. “It did not seem to be edible,” said the police, who added that Khanna Food Safety officer Yogesh Goyal was called to the spot, and he took the ghee from the consignment for testing.
Police officials said legal action would be taken after after getting a report from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) laboratory in Chandigarh. Goyal said whereas the normal rate for desi ghee was around Rs400 per kg, the bill in the driver’s possession mentioned the rate as Rs240 per kg, which seemed suspicious. He added that the ghee was manufactured in Kaithal, and sold by a trader of Kurukshetra.
“We have sent samples of the ghee to FDA lab in Chandigarh, and hopefully, will get a report from there in 15 days,” said Goyal. He did not rule out the possibility of the ghee being used for preparation of sweets during Diwali. Khanna police said rather being soft, the ghee was hard.