Expired imported sweets in markets

The pack of imported chocolates, which you bought for your child, may not be so sweet after all. In fact, it could pose a potent threat to your child''s health. Scamsters have found a rather bitter way to unleash counterfeit harmful chocolates of the biggest brands, reports CNBC-TV18.

In what could be a fatal nexus, Mumbai police has unearthed a racket selling expired imported confectionary. A huge seizure of renowned international brands of chocolates, energy drinks and biscuits have been seized. These expired products, which could prove lethal to a child''s health, were doing the rounds of some of Mumbai''s most popular markets.

Shabir Syed, a 34-year old science graduate from Bangalore, along with another accomplice have been held for the crime. The accused would change the expiry dates on packs of confectionary and circulate them again in the market. Police are not ruling out the possibility of involvement of more people in this racket.

"There was a cold storage godown in Southern Mumbai, where these chocolates were being stored. It is possible that the person who was giving the chocolates to the accused was giving it to other people also," said P Boparai, Senior Inspector, Dongri Police Station.

According to a survey, high-end chocolates alone see an average turnover of over $1.5 billion worldwide. When this is combined with their target consumers, it sounds alarm bells for the younger lot.

The hunt is still on for the man who masterminded the whole racket. His arrest might reveal a nexus of people functional across the country, people who endanger innocent lives in the name of selling imported chocolates.