Police seizes stocks of artificially ripened mangoes from Borabanda godowns

Hyderabad: The sleuths of Commissioner’s Task Force, West Zone Team, raided various fruits warehouses in Borabanda and seized huge quantities of artificially ripened mangoes and ethylene sachets used to ripen mangoes artificially.

In the first case, the accused have been identified as Mohd Moiz (40), a business manager at a fruit godown in Borabanda. The seized stocks include 160 trays of noxious mangoes along with ripening sachets; each tray containing 20 kg of mangoes and four sachets of ripening material. They also found 70 packets of ethylene and 40 packets, each packet containing 100 small sachets.

In the second raid, the police officials found Mohd Sadiq (47) stocking 80 trays of noxious mangoes along with ripening sachets in a godown in Sanjay Nagar, Borabanda. Each tray consists of 20 kg of mangoes and four sachets of ripening material.

Case details

The Commissioners Task Force raided various fruits warehouses in Borabanda which were selling and supplying artificially ripened mangoes.

They used to supply the fruits to different fruit shops and juice centres in Hyderabad city. Due to heavy demand for the fruit, they are using artificial ripeners like ethylene to bring unripe fruits especially mangoes into the market by breaching the FSSAI guidelines and using ripening material by placing them directly on mangoes.

They are also using illegal methods of storage and ripening mangoes which are dangerous to humans causing serious effects to public health like respiratory and skin ailments. When used the excessive quantities, these chemicals can cause severe health problems like skin burns, skin irritation, inflammation, lung irritation when inhaled. Using arsenic on mangoes will cause heavy metal poisoning and other neurological diseases. The police said that the accused were intentionally using harmful chemicals illegally for their personnel gain by cheating the innocent public and violating FSSAI guidelines

Why is ethylene dangerous?

Ethylene oxide (C2H4O), is a colourless, flammable gas known for its sweet odour at room temperature. It is potent sterilising agent capable of damaging DNA, thereby making in carcinogenic.

Treatment of unripe fruits with ethylene gas triggers the ripening process until the fruit itself starts producing ethylene in large quantities. However, it has been further directed that such material should also not come in contact directly with the fruits to be ripened artificially.