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Updated: Jul 29, 2019 20:45 IST

Seven years ago, two brothers from a village in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district would be seen supplying milk on a motorcycle to a nearby dairy. Today, they are said to be owners of a Rs 2 crore milk chilling plant, milk tankers, three bungalows, SUVs and agricultural land, according to police.

It’s not a magic wand that has changed the fortunes of Devendra Gurjar (42) and Jaiveer Gurjar (40), who live in the village Dhakpura of Morena district, some 465 km from Bhopal. Rather, it is their illegal business of manufacturing synthetic milk and its by-products that are slow poison for consumers, an investigation of Madhya Pradesh police’s special task force (STF) has revealed.

Along with Devendra Gurjar, a few other dairy owners in Chambal whose names appear in an FIR became rich in just five-seven years by allegedly selling synthetic milk not only in Madhya Pradesh but also to renowned companies in Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, the investigation has shown.

Synthetic milk is manufactured by mixing glucose, urea, refined oil, milk powder and water. Other chemicals, including hydrogen peroxide, are also used. Some of the by-products manufactured are synthetic cheese and mawa.

Rajesh Bhadoria, STF superintendent of police, said, “During investigations, we found that six of the main persons -- Devendra Gurjar, Jaiveer Gurjar, Ramnaresh Gurjar, Dinesh Sharma, Santosh Singh and Rajeev Gupta – had amassed huge wealth. Their standard of living has changed totally in just a few years. They covered the journey from being small dairy owners to millionaires very fast. We are investigating the economic aspects and will forward the case to the income-tax department too.”

All six have been booked under section 420 (fraud) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, Bhadoria said.

“In Chambal, they used to spend just Rs 6 to make a litre of milk, which sells at Rs 25 in the wholesale market. The profit margin is about 70-75%. They prepare synthetic milk by mixing glucose, urea, refined oil, milk powder and water. Similarly, profit margins were increased for synthetic cheese and mawa,” he said.

Rampal Singh, a resident of Ambah town in Morena district, said, “Here, even a child knows that dairy is a profitable business because of this artificial milk. Earlier, they would adulterate milk but now they have started manufacturing synthetic milk. We have seen the economic progress of these people. Now, they wear jewellery, branded clothes and shoes, and roam around in high-end SUVs. We have been flagging this issue for several years but the administration has woken up now.”

More than 10 big dairies in the Chambal region have been raided jointly by the STF and the food department and sealed after materials used to make spurious milk were recovered. Raids are being conducted in other parts of the state too. Over 65 people have been arrested in this connection in the last six days.

The Madhya Pradesh Milk Federation has banned 200 milk cooperative societies in Chambal.

Ashok Awasthi, STF additional director general of police, said, “In Chambal, daily production of milk is just 11 lakh litres but about 30 lakh litres milk are being supplied. The gap of 19 lakh litres is being filled with spurious milk, which is not only cancerous but also leads to various chronic diseases.”

“Citing this inconsistency, the STF raided the premises of two chilling plants in Bhind -- Girraj Food Supplier and Gopal Chilling Centre -- and one in Morena -- Vankhandeshwari Dairy and Factory -- and found 17,000 litres of spurious milk, 1000 kg synthetic mawa and 1500 kg synthetic cheese last Friday,” the ADG said.

There were abundant quantities of urea, chemicals, glucose, shampoo, refined oil and hydrogen peroxide on the plant premises, but what was missing was real milk, he added.

Terming this a dangerous crime, the Madhya Pradesh government has decided to impose the stringent National Security Act (NSA) on those adulterating milk and dairy products. National Security Act is a law that allows preventive detention for months and for that time, person doesn’t need to be charged. The motive is to prevent the person from committing crime.

According an officer, as there is no strict law in this regard so NSA will help the investigative agency to deter them.

A few days ago, chief minister Kamal Nath had said he would take steps to stop this illegal business totally. The health department has put out a helpline number in all 52 districts of Madhya Pradesh asking for information related to manufacture and supply of synthetic milk.

A Bhopal-based liver specialist, Dr Sanjay Kumar, said, “Consumption of urea can lead to permanent gastric problems, stomach infections, appetite loss and discomfort. If a person consumes adulterated milk for a long period of time, it can also result in cancer.”