An expose at the Vashi APMC fruit market has revealed how raw alphonso (hapus) mangoes are being artificially ripened using hazardous chemicals, putting thousands of consumers at risk. The trigger was a viral video shot by eyewitness Nagmani Pandey, who captured traders openly spraying chemicals on stacks of raw mangoes inside the market yard on Saturday. The visuals, now widely circulated, show cartons of mangoes being treated in cramped godowns far from any regulatory oversight.

Stinging question

Pandey didn’t just record; he confronted the traders. ‘Maine unse seedha poocha… kya aap ye zehar wale aam apne bachchon ko khilayenge [will you feed these poisonous mangoes to your own kids]?” Pandey told mid-day.