Bhubaneswar: In a major breakthrough, Gurudijhatia police on Saturday arrested the mastermind and an associate involved in a large-scale milk adulteration racket operating in the Gurudijhatia area of Cuttack district.
The key accused has been identified as Prakash Khuntia, a hotel owner and his associate as Sudhir Tiwari. Both were produced before the court following their arrest.
According to sources, Khuntia was the main conspirator behind the operation. Preliminary investigations revealed that the duo had been adulterating milk by mixing it with milk powder, salt, and chemicals. The illegal activity was being conducted at a facility behind a hotel near Kusupangi under Gurudijhatia police limits.
Acting on a tip-off, police raided a milk tanker at Kusupangi on September 10 and seized a large quantity of adulterated milk. The milk was allegedly being transported to a factory in Cuttack for further distribution. During the raid, the driver and helper of the tanker fled the scene, leaving behind the adulterated milk and associated chemicals.
A milk tanker used in the operation was also seized. Police confirmed that further investigation into the racket is ongoing.
