Two individuals affiliated with a recycling enterprise have been detained in Thane district, Maharashtra, on suspicion of repackaging expired products, including consumables, for market resale, according to police reports issued on Sunday.
Authorities from Thane city conducted inspections of two storage facilities located in the Dahisar area of Shil-Daighar earlier this week, resulting in the seizure of 200 tonnes of expired goods, an official statement indicates, according to news agency PTI.
The accused individuals, Mohammad Irfan Mohammad Munir Chowdhary (41) and Mohammad Akram Mohammad Ismail Shaikh (58), are identified as partners operating a recycling and waste management business in Bhiwandi.
“Based on a tip-off that a recycling company was engaged in bringing expired products back into the market instead of destroying them, our team conducted raids on July 9 and 10 at two godowns located in Dahisar,” the official said, reported news agency PTI.
He said the team found that a massive stockpile of nearly 200 tonnes of expired goods, initially dispatched by an e-commerce company for safe destruction, was being repacked and stored for resale.
The stock included food grains, cereals, flour, sugar, rice, dry fruits, toilet cleaners, sanitary pads, washing powders, and branded soaps, the official said.
“Labels on these products were deliberately torn, and the items were repacked in plastic and gunny bags to be sold in Bhiwandi and surrounding areas,” he said, reported news agency PTI.
The official said that the duo was booked under sections 318(4) (cheating), 336(2) (forgery), and 340(2) (using forged documents or records as genuine) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Mulund police arrest Surat-based CEO in Rs 8.46 crore pharmaceutical fraud case
In a similar case in May, the Mulund police have arrested one of the accused in a Rs 8.46 crore fraud case registered in December 2024 by a pharmaceutical company. The case pertains to an alleged commercial scam involving unpaid dues, forged documents, and fraudulent business dealings.
The arrested accused, Mukesh Trivedi, is the chief executive officer (CEO) of the accused company and is alleged to have played a central role in orchestrating the fraud. The accused company operates as a chemical manufacturing company headquartered in Surat, Gujarat, specialising in industrial and pharmaceutical supplies.
(With PTI inputs)
