In a major crackdown on the illegal sale of substandard consumer goods, the Crime Branch of Delhi Police has unearthed multiple rackets involving expired food, cosmetics, and fake products across the city,
officials said. According to a report by The Hans, one such operation led to the arrest of Abdul Mannan Khan alias Monu (34), a resident of Bijwasan in southwest Delhi. Acting on specific intelligence inputs received on April 8, a Crime Branch team from the Central Range raided a shop near the Kapashera border that was allegedly selling expired items at discounted prices.
The raid was conducted by a team led by Inspector Yashendra Singh under the supervision of ACP Satendra Mohan after deploying decoy customers. The team confirmed the allegations when the customers purchased food items that were later found to be past their expiry date.
“During the raid, a large quantity of expired food items and cosmetics were recovered from the premises. The accused was apprehended on the spot,” a senior officer reportedly said.
Officials from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) were subsequently called to inspect the premises, and samples were collected for testing. A customer present at the shop also alleged that she had purchased food items a day earlier that turned out to be expired.
Police said the accused had adopted a systematic modus operandi, procuring expired, near-expiry, or damaged food and cosmetic products at throwaway prices and selling them to unsuspecting customers at discounted rates to maximise profits, said the report. The seized items included maida, sooji, poha, rawa, spices, peanut butter, baby food supplements, pulses, dairy products, and a range of personal care products. Around 900 kg of grocery items were seized, while nearly 2,000 kg of dairy products such as curd and cheese were destroyed in accordance with prescribed procedures.
In Delhi, expired food and cosmetic items including large quantities of Maida (Rajdhani/Fortune), Sooji (Rajdhani/Fortune), Supreme Harvest Poha and Rawa, spices (Goldie/Everest), peanut butter, baby food supplements (Nestle/Dexo Grow), various cosmetic and personal care… pic.twitter.com/1zm3DDrpyU
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) April 10, 2026
“The accused knowingly sold expired products, thereby cheating consumers and posing serious health hazards,” the officer added. A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Food Safety and Standards Act, and further investigation is underway.
In a separate but similar crackdown, reported by The Times of India, Delhi Police exposed an illegal operation in Dwarka where expired and near-expiry food items of multinational brands were allegedly repackaged and sold with forged manufacturing and expiry dates.
Acting on a tip-off received on March 29, police raided a godown in Bamnoli village and seized a large consignment of soft drinks and packaged food items. Two men, Shivam Singh (27) and Lokesh Kumar (35), were apprehended at the spot. During questioning, they allegedly revealed they were acting on the instructions of the firm’s owner, Kamal Mudgil (56), who was later taken into custody.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Harsh Indora said officials from FSSAI were called to verify licences and collect samples. “All food products found with forged batch numbers and altered expiry dates were seized,” he said.
The seized stock reportedly included 115 boxes of soft drink cans and branded biscuits with tampered packaging. Police said the accused allegedly sourced expired or near-expiry products, altered labels to extend shelf life, and sold them in local markets or exported them.
The TOI report further highlighted another operation in Outer Delhi’s Kanjhawala area, where six people were arrested for running a counterfeit toothpaste racket. The accused were allegedly filling low-quality or unhygienic paste into empty tubes of a reputed brand, sealing and packaging them to pass off as genuine products.
Police seized a large quantity of fake toothpaste, empty tubes, cartons, and sealing machinery from a godown in Mahaveer Vihar. The main accused was also apprehended.
