Palanpur: The Sabarkantha police on Thursday nabbed the kingpin of the duplicate milk production and sale racket that was busted in Salal village of Prantij taluka on Feb 6. Rakesh Patel, owner of Shree Satya Dairy, who had been allegedly manufacturing milk using detergent, urea, palm oil and soyabean oil, was arrested after being on the run since then.“He was remanded in police custody for two days. The duplicate milk was sold in pouches in Modasa, Ahmedabad, Prantij and other places,” said DK Patel, deputy superintendent of police, Sabarkantha.Patel had been manufacturing and selling duplicate milk as well as butter milk in the illicit unit for the last five years, police sources said. The milk was made by mixing water, milk powder, caustic soda, refined palmolein oil, refined soybean oil, detergent powder and urea fertiliser. Investigators learnt that they procured 300 litres of genuine milk from which they produced 1,700 to 1,800 litres of milk daily by mixing the chemicals. Police had seized 450 kg whey powder, 625 kg skimmed milk powder, 300 kg premium SMP powder, urea fertiliser, caustic soda, detergent powder, soybean oil and palmolein oil. The adulterants were mixed to artificially increase the thickness, foam, protein content.During the raid, the police had arrested the plant operator, three workers and one juvenile employed there.
