A conspiracy to adulterate chilli powder with harmful substances has been unearthed in Gujarat’s Chhotaudepur after the Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA) raided a factory in Bodeli and seized goods worth ₹6 lakh.

FDCA Commissioner Dr HG Koshia said that based on information received by the Gandhinagar team, the Chhotaudepur FDCA team jointly raided a factory in Bodeli where chilli powder was adulterated with inedible colour and oleoresin.

The mastermind behind this scam, Mayuddin Khatri, a trader from Jojwa village in Bodeli, was running the factory in a 2,500 sq ft shed on land survey no 43/2 plot 1 without a licence from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Initially, chilli powder was seen to be produced at the site. Upon thorough inspection of the premises, harmful substances were found. The team seized 25 kg of inedible red colour and 9 kg of capsicum oleoresin from the spot.

The trader was packing the chilli powder under the labels ‘Extra Hot Teja Mirch’ and ‘Kashmiri Thumki’, which did not have a batch number, packing date, manufacturer’s name, or address printed on them as required by law. He had also stored a huge quantity of loose chilli powder on his premises.

From the site, a total of six samples of chilli powder, including one packet each of ‘Kashmiri Thumki’, ‘Extra Hot Teja Mirch’, and crushed chilli powder, were sent to the laboratory for testing. Meanwhile, the remaining 4,027 kg of the batch, valued at an estimated ₹6.20 lakh, was seized.