Bengaluru: Days after a fake 'Nandini' ghee racket was busted in Bengaluru, a man and his wife, identified as its kingpins, were arrested on Wednesday. Officials said the couple, identified as Shivakumar and Ramya, operated a manufacturing unit and sold fake ghee under the brand 'Nandini', owned by the Karnataka Co-operative Milk Producers' Federation (KMF).

The unit was raided by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) police, during which officials found large, high-tech machinery used to produce counterfeit ghee. The couple had allegedly been using advanced industrial equipment to manufacture fake 'Nandini' products on a large scale, officials said.

All the machinery used in the production processes has been seized.

Earlier, four men involved in the operations of the racket were arrested.

Nandini, one of South India's most trusted dairy brands, has a massive market demand, which the accused exploited by preparing adulterated ghee and passing it off as genuine. The racket came to light after suspicious supply patterns triggered internal checks. On November 14, a joint team from the Central Crime Branch Special Investigation Squad and the KMF Vigilance Wing tracked the operation based on secret intelligence.

The investigators raided godowns, shops, and vehicles linked to Krishna Enterprises in Chamarajpet's Nanjamba Agrahara - believed to be the supply hub.

During the operation, a vehicle transporting adulterated packed ghee from Tamil Nadu was intercepted and seized. The police also seized assets worth Rs 1.26 crore - including 8,136 litres of adulterated ghee worth Rs 56.95 lakh, machinery used to manufacture fake ghee, coconut and palm oil used for mixing, five mobile phones, Rs 1.19 lakh in cash and four Bolero goods vehicles valued at Rs 60 lakh.

Officials are also testing whether animal fat was mixed in the ghee.

Source: NDTV