Mysore/Mysuru: A racket that manufactured and distributed adulterated Nandini brand ghee of Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) has been busted in the city this morning and the godown has been raided.

KMF officials and Mysuru South Police are conducting the raids and are examining the contents that have been stored in 10 to 15 litre tins in the godown. Police said that the racketeers used low quality edible oils to adulterate the ghee, filled it in fake Nandini packets and sold them.

The raid was conducted based on a tip off at Hosahundi village at the foot of Chamundi Hill and tonnes of adulterated ghee worth crores of rupees have been recovered. The exact estimate will be known only after the cans, tins and packets stored in the godown are measured.

Police said that it is an organised racket that mixed vegetable ghee & oil, oil coloured with turmeric to make it look like authentic Nandini ghee.

Aware that Nandini ghee had a huge market, the racket flourished since the last four to five months and the racketeers had established their own network of supplies across the city and had contacts with regular retail and wholesale buyers, the Police said. KMF outlets sell only Nandini brand products.

The tip off was provided by one Pradeep and when teams arrived at the godown, it was locked from outside while a couple of people were filling adulterated ghee into packets that had Nandini brand printed on it. The shutters of the godown were forcibly opened.

During the raid it was discovered that the racketeers had procured the Nandini labels and logo in bundles, stamps and seals and printed the packets to make it look original. A machine was used to fill the adulterated ghee to the packets and they were stored in cardboard boxes.

KMF (Mysuru Milk Union) Managing Director B.N. Vijay Kumar and team and the Mysuru South Police visited the spot and are examining the seized stocks.