Madhya Pradesh police have busted a racket involved in manufacturing synthetic milk and other products and distributing them to branded outlets in various states, a police officer said Saturday, adding that 62 people have been arrested.

The Special Task Force (STF) Friday raided factories based at Ambah in Morena district and Lahar in Bhind district of the Gwalior-Chambal region, around 400 kms from here, Superintendent of Police Rajesh Bhadoriya told PTI.

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In the operation police seized around 10,000 litres of synthetic milk, more than 500 kg of spurious ‘mawa’ or condensed milk and roughly 200 kg of synthetic cottage cheese. The police also seized heavy quantity of chemicals and preservatives.

This spurious milk and other products such as ‘mawa’ and cottage cheese to allegedly supplied to branded outlets in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, the SP said.

BCCL/Representational Image

"As many as 20 tankers and 11 pick-up vans containing spurious milk and other products were seized," the SP said. While the other products were supplied to various states including Delhi, synthetic milk was being supplied to areas of MP, Rajasthan and UP which are closer to Morena and Bhind districts.

"A huge quantity of liquid shampoo, detergent, refined oil, maltodextrin powder, sodium thiosulfate and other chemicals were seized during the raids," the SP said. The officer also added that the accused were using high quantity of preservatives.

The SP also told the STF had also raided a dozen other locations on Saturday, but these premises were found locked.