Hyderabad crackdown seizes 25 tonnes adulterated spices, arrests three

Hyderabad police, through the Hyderabad Food Adulteration Surveillance Team (H‑FAST), seized about 25 tonnes of spices contaminated with industrial dyes, fabric colours, talc and rice‑bran oil after inspecting 13 trading and processing establishments across the city. The operation, coordinated with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s Food Safety Department, led to the arrest of three residents – Rahul Bhati, Vishal Panwar and Dulichand Kachhawar – and the registration of three criminal cases.

For the first time, investigators invoked Section 110 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, treating the adulteration as an attempt at culpable homicide because consumption could cause serious health effects, including cancer. Police Commissioner V. C. Sajjanar said the crackdown is part of H‑FAST’s broader effort, which in its first 140 days conducted 659 raids, filed 202 FIRs and seized nearly 246 tonnes of adulterated food.