Three arrested for making spurious soft drinks

Surat Police busted a racket of manufacturing spurious soft drinks in the Varachha area of the city on Tuesday. Three persons were arrested in this connection.

Acting on specific information, a police team raided a soda factory in a partially-constructed building on Tuesday. Ninety three crates Thums Up bottles worth Rs 55,228 were recovered from the factory. Soft drink manufactured at the factory was and supplied in the market in Thums Up bottles.

The police arrested factory owners Purshottam and Mohan Patel, besides delivery-man Prakash Vasunia. It registered an offence against them under the Trademark Registration Act.

The three accused were remanded to two days police custody by the court. During questioning, Purshottam Patel said the manufacture of spurious soft drinks at the factory began three weeks back. He added that the soft drink was filled in Thums Up bottles and supplied mostly in the Varachha and Kapodara areas.

Investigation officer P I Wala said: "The factory has been in existence for long, but it used to produce only soda there. Factory owner Purshottam Patel was facing financial problems and he decided to make money by selling spurious soft drinks."

Wala said investigations are on to find out the other people involved in the trade.