Gang artificially ripening mangoes with harmful chemicals handed over to police
Gang artificially ripening mangoes with harmful chemicals handed over to police
The mango season is round the corner, and the high price the king of fruits commands can make people unscrupulous. An alleged racket involving the artificial ripening of mangoes with hazardous chemicals in the city was reported amid much drama at the Samarth police station in Somwar Peth on Tuesday night.
A gang of men who allegedly added chemicals to raw mangoes to ripen them was dragged out of a godown by MNS workers and residents and the matter reported to the police.
The police detained eight people in connection with the case and are awaiting reports from municipal authorities for further action.
MNS worker Dilip Bahirat said, "The chemical used is so deadly that if water is poured on it, it starts burning like fire. And the stench is horrible; that is what drew us to these godowns."
The police said they investigated the claims of locals that some men were using harmful chemicals on raw mangoes. The police raided the godowns at Narpatgiri Chowk and seized a truckload of mangoes and a few kilograms of a "suspicious" powder.
But residents said the police approach to the problem was casual and said they would approach the municipal corporation and the FDA to get the seized chemicals tested.
A J Bhujbal, food inspector, FDA, who seized the samples, said, "The chemical was calcium carbide, which is hazardous to heath. We are going to perform further analysis and move for strict court action. We have also decided on a large-scale inspection drive in big trading markets."
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