Delhi police bust fake `Tata Salt` factory, arrest owner

New Delhi: The Delhi police busted a fake “Tata Salt” factory operating in the capital’s Barwala area on Saturday (July 17).

The police arrested the 33-year-old owner, identified as Mahesh alias Tony, who oversaw bulk production of duplicate "Tata salt".

According to the Delhi police, the owner said that he used the Tata brand name for its reliability and as it is one of the most-selling items.

The police seized 2,640 kg of fake Tata salt. They estimated that the accused has sold more than 10,000 kg of the product last year.

“On Friday, our team raided the factory in Barwala, from where a huge quantity of duplicate Tata salt, besides fake packaging material, electric weighing machines, and electric sealing, packing and sewing machines were seized,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer-North) Rajiv Ranjan Singh was quoted as saying by PTI.

“The accused revealed that he used to purchase the duplicate packaging material of Tata salt from his source in Delhi's Naya Bazar at the rate of Rs 2 per pack of one kg,” the officer added.

During the raid, the police found around 2,000 packets of salt with "Tata salt" written on them, nine plastic bags with loose salt and around 915 printed fake packets.

During interrogation, the accused told the police that at the office of a property dealer, he came in contact with one "Masterji", who was in the business of packed food items and who gave him the idea of starting his own business of duplicate salt, the DCP said.

A year ago, the accused started his factory on a rented premise in Barwala, where he used to pack low-quality salt in one-kg packets and sell it, he added.