Bengaluru police on Wednesday arrested a couple accused of masterminding a large-scale counterfeit ghee manufacturing racket that had recently come under the scanner. The pair, Shivakumar and his wife Ramya, were detained by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) for allegedly running an illegal unit that produced and sold fake ghee branded as ‘Nandini’, a name belonging to the Karnataka Co-operative Milk Producers’ Federation (KMF).
Their arrest comes just days after authorities uncovered a widespread circulation of adulterated ghee falsely marketed as the trusted Nandini brand. The crackdown has exposed how the counterfeiters were capitalising on the deep consumer trust and high market demand for Nandini dairy products.
High-Tech Machinery Found
According to officials, the couple had outfitted their operation with high-tech, high-capacity machinery capable of mimicking the quality, texture and even the packaging of authentic Nandini ghee, as per a report on NDTV. During the raid, investigators found sophisticated industrial equipment used to create thousands of litres of fake product, demonstrating the scale at which the racket was operating.
CCB officials noted that the accused were producing counterfeit ghee with the intent of circulating it across Bengaluru. They added that the unit was well-equipped to replicate both the appearance and consistency of the genuine product.
Raids Stretch Across Warehouses, Shops and Vehicles
The racket initially came to light when unusual supply patterns triggered internal reviews within KMF. Acting on intelligence inputs, a joint team from the CCB Special Investigation Squad and the KMF Vigilance Wing launched a targeted operation on November 14, as per News18.
The investigators raided multiple godowns, shops and transport vehicles tied to Krishna Enterprises in Nanjamba Agrahara, Chamarajpet — considered the main logistics hub for the counterfeit network. One vehicle carrying adulterated, pre-packed ghee from Tamil Nadu was intercepted during the sweep.
Massive Seizure Points to Widespread Network
During the operation, authorities seized assets worth Rs 1.26 crore. This included 8,136 litres of adulterated ghee valued at Rs 56.95 lakh, industrial machinery used in production, coconut and palm oil used for mixing, five mobile phones, Rs 1.19 lakh in cash and four Bolero goods vehicles worth Rs 60 lakh.
