Tons of adulterated kala jeera mixed with rodent excreta, mobil oil, seized in Kolkata

The Kolkata Police on Friday seize more than 12 tons of adulterated kala jeera, which officials said were presumably mixed with mobil oil and rodent excreta.

Acting on a tip-off, sleuths of the city police’s enforcement branch (EB) intercepted a truck loaded with at least 222 sacks, each carrying 50 kilos of kala jeera.

“We have arrested one person in this regard. We have also obtained the details of the dealers to whom these were to be supplied. Further investigation is going on,” said a senior police official.

In August, EB officials seized a small quantity of kala jeera from Jorabagan area in north Kolkata. The samples were sent for testing.

“The results revealed that they were adulterated with rodent excreta and mobil oil. Presumably, the consignment which has been seized on Friday, also contain the same materials,” said an official.

The police have been receiving information over the past few days that truck-loads of adulterated kala jeera were being smuggled into the city from the districts. The trucks enter the city early in the morning and unload the material at Posta market, the city’s main wholesale market. From there the materials are distributed to other markets in the city.