Beef sold as mutton? Hyderabad Police bust alleged hotel meat supply racket
Hyderabad: Two men have been apprehended by the Central Crime Station (CCS) Crime Team and the Hyderabad Food Adulteration Surveillance Team (H-FAST) for allegedly supplying beef disguised as mutton to several hotels across Hyderabad, police said on Tuesday.
Acting on specific intelligence, officials intercepted the suspects on July 1 and seized around 50 kg of meat that was allegedly mixed with beef.
Following the operation, the CCS team handed the two suspects over to the Habeeb Nagar Police Station for further legal action. A case has been registered, and an investigation is under way to determine the scale of the alleged supply network and identify all hotels that may have received the adulterated meat.
Police said the operation was launched based on credible information, adding that further inquiries are in progress.
The latest action comes less than two weeks after H-FAST carried out a major raid on an illegal fast-food godown in Hyderabad's Charminar area as part of its ongoing crackdown on food adulteration.
On June 19, H-FAST, along with a Food Safety Officer, raided the premises of Al Akbar Fast Food and Godown at New Laad Bazar in Panch Mohalla, under the Hussainialam Police Station limits.
Officials found that food was being prepared and stored in extremely unhygienic conditions, posing a serious risk to public health. The establishment was allegedly operating without the mandatory Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licence.
The inspection also revealed the use of banned artificial food colours, including MSK Lion Green and Raspberry Red, the reuse of stale cooking oil, the absence of water quality certification, inadequate pest control measures, and poor hygiene standards.
During the raid, authorities seized around 110 kg of prepared fried chicken, six 15-litre tins of loose cooking oil, and several packets of artificial food colouring. Two people believed to be running the illegal operation were apprehended.
(PTI)