1,400 kg of counterfeit paneer seized in Noida, Aligarh factory connection exposed

A big racket of fake paneer (cottage cheese) being transported to Uttar Pradesh's Noida has been busted by the police, and around 1,400 kgs of the counterfeit product has been seized by the police.

According to a Lallantop report, the racket is linked to a factory in Aligarh, and was behind the supply of fake paneer in parts of Delhi-NCR over the last six months. It had reportedly been ongoing for about six months, and fake paneer was sold at ₹180-220 per kg, significantly cheaper than real paneer, and supplied to vendors, roadside stalls, and eateries across Delhi‑NCR.

The Noida Police received a tip-off about fake paneer being brought to the city in a pick-up truck. Acting on the input, the Noida Sector-63 Police stopped a vehicle for a check, and found 1,400 kgs of fake paneer inside it, the news report further said.

The driver, 32-year-old Gulfam, was taken into custody and revealed during questioning that the paneer was being transported from a factory in Aligarh. Following the factory link revealed by the pick-up truck's driver, police visited a plant located in Sahajpura village of Aligarh. A variety of raw material and other items needed for making fake paneer was found: 25 kg of fresh skimmed milk powder, artificial white colour, sacks with starchy material, labelled 'Red Bull Sortex Clean', two tins of 15 kg refined palm oil, blue box weighing 4 kgs, containing chemicals, 11 blue drums, and a fake paneer making machine.

After a raid at the factory, police arrested three more people -- 36-year-old Guddu, who operated the plant, a 30-year-old helper named Ikhlaq, and one Naveed.

During a police questioning, those arrested at the Aligarh factory detailed the process that goes into manufacturing fake paneer. The starchy powder or 'Red Bull Sortex Clean' was mixed with water and chemicals, and boiled. An artificial white colour was then added to this mixture to give it an appearance of a dairy product. It was then curdled to look like paneer, tied inside a cloth to remove excess water and later mixed with some palm oil for a more 'creamy look'.

Police are now on the lookout for the buyers and sellers of the fake product.