Synthetic colours, cocopeat found in tea dust; one arrested in Sanathnagar for adulteration

Hyderabad: A tea powder adulteration racket was busted in Sanath Nagar for supplying sub-standard raw product to tea stalls.

The Commissioner’s Task Force (West Zone), along with Sanathnagar Police, has arrested a 33-year-old businessman for allegedly mixing synthetic colours and cocopeat with low-quality tea dust to make illegal profits.

The accused has been identified as Jagannath Bishnoi (33), a resident of Fathenagar, who was reportedly supplying the adulterated tea powder to local tea stalls and dealers by misrepresenting it as a genuine product.

How the tea adulteration was carried out

According to police, the accused confessed that he was purchasing cocopeat and filtering excess coconut husk before mixing it with hot jaggery water. The mixture was dried for two to three days.

After drying, synthetic food colours, Sunset Yellow and Tartrazine, were added to the jaggery-treated cocopeat. The coloured mixture was again dried and later used in preparing adulterated tea powder.

For every one kilogram of tea powder, he allegedly mixed:

- 450 grams of low-quality tea dust

- 500 grams of low-quality tea granules

- 50 grams of colour-mixed cocopeat

The final product was sold at higher prices under the guise of genuine tea powder.

Materials seized during the raid

During the raid, officials seized:

- 120 kg of colour-mixed adulterated tea powder

- 30 kg of natural tea powder

- 138 kg of cocopeat mixture

- 800 grams of Sunset Yellow colour

- 700 grams of Tartrazine colour

- 12 boxes of jaggery (500 gm each)

- One weighing machine

- One domestic gas cylinder

- Three handles

- One beaker

- 10 kg of carry bag bundles

Public advisory and legal warning

Police have advised the public to purchase tea powder only from authorised and reputable sellers. Citizens are urged to report any suspected cases of food adulteration to the concerned authorities.

Officials warned that food business operators involved in adulteration, which poses a serious risk to public health, will face stringent criminal action.

A case has been registered and further investigation is underway.