Angry Crowd Forces Maharashtra FDA Officer to Eat Expired Biscuits Over Bribery Allegations

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officer was reportedly cornered and forced to consume expired biscuits by an angry crowd in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district following allegations that he accepted a bribe to protect a local shopkeeper.

The confrontation erupted after a two-year-old child fell ill and suffered dizziness after consuming a savoury snack mix bought from a local paan shop. As the child's condition deteriorated, the family rushed the patient to a hospital for emergency medical treatment.

Outraged by the incident, relatives and local residents lodged an official complaint with the FDA office in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. However, when the inspecting officer arrived at the venue, residents alleged that the specific savoury snack mix tied to the child's illness had already been cleared from the shop's shelves.

During the subsequent search, the officer reportedly discovered and seized several packets of expired biscuits. Tensions escalated when residents noticed that no strict action was being initiated against the shopkeeper despite the recovery of expired stock.

Locals accused the FDA official of trying to settle the matter on the spot after allegedly taking a bribe.

Confrontation Captured on Video

Video footage of the scene reportedly showed a crowd closing in on the official, holding up the seized expired biscuit packets and demanding that he eat them himself to prove they were safe for consumption.

In the ensuing chaos, members of the crowd shouted at the officer and attempted to push the expired food into his mouth while accusing him of shielding the shop owner.

The incident comes at a time when the Maharashtra FDA has reportedly intensified statewide crackdowns on food safety violations. Officials across the state have been conducting routine inspections targeting food adulteration, the sale of outdated products, and general safety lapses in recent weeks.