The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has registered a case after raids in Thane and Pune uncovered expired, spoiled and rejected food products valued at ₹48,09,924, according to the agency’s findings reported by Navbharat Times. The FIR was registered at Shanti Nagar police station in Thane against company-linked officials, disposal operators and local suppliers.
The case has been filed under relevant provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The people named in the case include senior officials and employees associated with Reliance Consumer Products, Reliance Retail, Blinkit and Zomato Hyperpure, along with representatives of a disposal agency and suppliers in Bhiwandi.
The FDA conducted coordinated inspections at multiple locations in Thane and Pune on 14 and 15 October. The seized stock included products valued at more than ₹24 lakh from a disposal yard in Bhiwandi, about ₹4.92 lakh from a Reliance Consumer Products warehouse in Vadpe and approximately ₹7.81 lakh from a Zomato Hyperpure facility in Usatane.
According to the FDA’s preliminary investigation, products that had expired, deteriorated or been returned by customers were supposed to be destroyed. The agency alleged that some of these products were instead routed through disposal agencies, unlicensed sorting yards and intermediaries and were subsequently made available to retailers.
The investigation also identified discrepancies in disposal records, including differences in quantities and inconsistencies in consignor and consignee details. The FDA is examining allegations that disposal agencies issued certificates and related documents stating that products had been destroyed without properly confirming the destruction.
Officials also reportedly found an unlicensed yard in Bhiwandi where the stock was sorted. Products whose packaging appeared intact were allegedly separated and sold to intermediaries and suppliers. At a retail outlet in Bhiwandi’s Gulzar Nagar, expired and leaking products were found displayed for sale, while the outlet was operating without a licence or purchase invoices, according to the report.
The FDA formed seven teams comprising assistant commissioners and food safety officers for the inspections. The teams prepared inventories, seized the stock, collected samples and recorded statements. They also directed that the seized products should not be moved, sold or destroyed elsewhere while the proceedings continued.
Following a hearing on 15 October, licences of five establishments were suspended, while commercial activity at four unlicensed locations was stopped, the FDA said. The FIR and regulatory action now place responsibility on the police investigation and further food-safety proceedings, with the seized material and inspection records forming part of the case.
