Hyderabad: The South Zone police conducted a raid on an oil factory on Tuesday and seized several cartons of adulterated oil.

In a separate operation, the East Zone Task Force team raided a ghee manufacturing unit and arrested a 43-year-old businessman for manufacturing and selling adulterated products.

DCP Satyanarayana personally monitored the raid on Natraj Agro India’s oil factory in Purana pool, on Tuesday and sealed the entire factory. “We have received several complaints recently, including one where a man who consumed the product fell sick. A case of cheating has been registered against the firm,” said Mr Satyanarayana.

“The product reads groundnut oil on the cover, but contains substandard, adulterated rice brown oil, which freezes when kept in the refrigerator. The owner, Shyam Sundar Loya, has been running this firm for many years and has been selling the adulterated oil in Telangana and neighbouring states, endangering lives,” he added. A sample has been sent to the Central Food Technology Research Institute to check how adulterated and toxic the product is.

The owner, managers and staff of the company will be arrested, Mr Satyanarayana said.

The police has booked cases under Sections 420 (cheating), 272 (adulteration) and 273 (sale of noxious food or drink) of the Indian Penal Code.

In a separate incident, East Zone Task Force team raided a godown in Nallakunta and apprehended Perumal Srinivasan, 53, for preparing and selling adulterated ghee.

The godown’s name reads Sri Sai Jagatha Ghee Stores & Coffee Works. We seized 60 kg of adulterated ghee, three kilos of adulterated ghee packets among the machines from the place.