Jharsuguda: Police have busted an illegal factory producing counterfeit diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) in Jharsuguda district, arresting seven people and seizing a large quantity of manufacturing materials, officials said Saturday.
Acting on intelligence under Operation Netra, a special police team led by a DSP raided the factory premises in Siriabagicha area under Sadar police limits. Jharsuguda Superintendent of Police Gundala Reddy Raghav Endra said at a press briefing that the unit was allegedly manufacturing fake DEF using subsidised urea meant for farmers.
Investigators said the counterfeit product was being packaged in branded buckets bearing logos of companies such as Tata and Ashok Leyland, and then illegally supplied to various locations in Odisha and neighbouring Chhattisgarh.
Those arrested have been identified as Mukesh Chand Yogi of Rajasthan, Raj Kumar Hemram and Brijbhushan Singh of Jharsuguda, Aman Kumar Singh of Lamti Bahal, Ziaul Ansari of Chhattisgarh, Akash Agrawal of Bargarh, and Partha Sarathi Mishra of Talcher.
Police seized 256 bags of urea, 422 empty branded buckets, 150 hologram stickers marked “Ta ta Genuine Parts,” two Syntex tanks, a water motor, and two pickup vehicles loaded with suspected fake DEF. Officials from the District Industries Centre and the Agriculture department were present during the raid and assisted in verifying the seized materials.
Police have registered a case and launched a wider investigation to trace the supply chain. The SP said preliminary findings suggest links extending into Chhattisgarh.
