The Thane Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has filed an FIR against 10 individuals following a comprehensive crackdown on expired food product diversion. According to PTI, the Shanti Nagar police station registered the FIR naming senior officials and employees from Reliance Consumer Products, Reliance Retail, Blinkit, and Zomato Hyperpure, along with disposal agency operators and local suppliers. The accused include V Subramaniam, Whole-time Director of Reliance Consumer Products Ltd, Ashok Kumar Singh from Reliance Consumer Products, Vijay Bhikaji Kharmale, Nominee of Reliance Retail Ltd, and Nilesh Ramdasrao Deshmukh, Warehouse Manager of Reliance Retail Ltd. Other key individuals named in the FIR are Arbinder Singh Dhinsa, Whole-time Director of Blinkit Commerce Pvt. Ltd, Deepak Singh from Blinkit Commerce, Abid Shaikh from Zomato Hyperpure, and various disposal agency operators and suppliers. Reuters reports that the case involves Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa and other senior executives from the quick-commerce platform.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted a multi-district operation between October 14-15, 2026, simultaneously targeting multiple locations in Thane and Pune districts. The operation was coordinated by seven teams comprising assistant commissioners and food safety officers who conducted coordinated inspections, inventoried stock, collected samples, recorded statements, and issued prohibition orders. According to PTI, the case has been registered under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Following hearings on October 15, 2026, the FDA suspended licences of five establishments while stopping business operations at four unlicensed premises. As reported by Reuters, the FDA's chief Tukaram Mundhe stated that the agency has led a crackdown on food safety under his leadership, including shutting down some of Mumbai's most popular eateries and outlets of Domino's and Pizza Hut for poor hygiene.
The FDA suspended the licences of five establishments on October 15, 2026. As reported by PTI, these include Reliance Consumer Products and Reliance Retail facilities at Vadpe in Bhiwandi, a Reliance Retail warehouse at Chakan in Pune, a Zomato Hyperpure facility at Usatane in Ambernath, and a Blinkit warehouse at Nighoje in Pune. According to the complaint filed by Food Safety Officer Pravin Balasaheb Shinde, expired and rejected food products intended for destruction were allegedly handed over to disposal agencies without adequate verification of their authorisation or proof that the goods had actually been destroyed. Reuters reports that the Maharashtra FDA suspended licences of five establishments - three Reliance and two Eternal entities in the state.
The total seizure was valued at ₹48,09,924 across multiple locations. According to PTI, authorities seized ₹24,00,000 worth of stock from a Bhiwandi-based disposal yard, ₹4,92,000 from Reliance Consumer Products' warehouse at Vadpe, and ₹7,81,000 from Zomato Hyperpure's facility at Usatane. At the Reliance Consumer Products facility, investigators seized 6,073.19 kg of stock worth ₹4.91 lakh and another approximately 300 kg valued at ₹51,265 from the same location's Reliance Retail warehouse. The complaint also alleges that the company invoiced food stock at unusually low rates to an entity named Pan India Grocery Dump in Bengaluru, which preliminary inquiries reportedly found did not exist. In the case of a Zomato Hyperpure warehouse, a company representative named a contractor as its disposal agency which FDA officials could not trace, according to Reuters documents.
The FDA's preliminary investigation revealed systematic violations in the disposal process. According to PTI, disposal agencies allegedly issued certificates and other documents claiming that products had been destroyed without adequate verification of actual destruction. FDA officials found discrepancies in disposal records, including mismatches in quantities and inconsistencies in consignor-consignee details. The stock was allegedly sorted at unlicensed yards in Bhiwandi, where saleable-looking packets were separated and sold to brokers and suppliers. Expired and leaking products were subsequently found displayed for sale at a retail outlet in Gulzar Nagar, Bhiwandi, operating without a licence or purchase bills. Reuters documents reveal a pattern where large retail and quick commerce distribution warehouses handed over expired and customer-rejected packages of food to contractors who passed the food to unlicensed sorting yards. The allegations are subject to ongoing investigation under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
