New Delhi, March 8 (IANS) Two persons have been arrested for allegedly manufacturing and supplying counterfeit protein supplements of reputed brands in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), the Delhi Police Crime Branch said on Sunday.

The accused, identified as Mohit Tiwari and Mohit Dixit, both residents of Brahmpuri in northeast Delhi, were arrested following a crackdown by a team of the Crime Branch. Police said the racket involved the production and sale of fake protein supplements of well-known brands, which could pose serious health risks to consumers.

According to the police, a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Copyright Act, 1957, at the Crime Branch police station in New Delhi.

Acting on specific intelligence, a team of the Crime Branch’s NDR unit conducted a follow-up operation in the Brahmpuri area on March 6. During the operation, the two accused were apprehended for their alleged role in manufacturing and supplying counterfeit protein supplements.

During interrogation, the accused reportedly confessed to their involvement in the racket and led the police team to illegal manufacturing units operating from Brahmpuri. Investigators said the units were being used to prepare fake supplements by mixing various raw materials and packing them in containers bearing labels of reputed brands.

Police seized a large quantity of counterfeit supplements, packaging materials, and raw materials from the units. The recovered items included boxes of protein supplements labelled as Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey, Syntha-6 Ultra Premium Protein Matrix and Isopure Zero Carb Protein, along with flavouring agents, cocoa powder, whey protein powder, fat powder and maltodextrin powder.

The Crime Branch also recovered packaging materials such as brand stickers, hologram labels, seals, plastic jars, and lids bearing the names of reputed brands. Two mixing machines and weighing machines used for preparing the fake supplements were also seized.

In total, around 100 kg of counterfeit protein supplements and 55 kg of raw materials used for manufacturing the products were recovered from the premises. Two mobile phones used by the accused were also seized.

Police said the accused had been manufacturing fake supplements by mixing maltodextrin and flavouring agents and selling them in the market under the labels of popular brands to make quick profits.

Further investigation is underway to trace the co-accused, including Anil Biswa, and to identify the supply chain, sources of raw materials and the distribution network used to circulate the counterfeit supplements in the market, police said.

–IANS

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