Raids on Amazon and Swiggy Instamart Dark Stores in Bengaluru; Expired Food and Medicines Worth ₹1.42 Crore Seized
If you order goods online, you need to be cautious. Karnataka health officials raided the dark stores of Amazon and Swiggy Instamart on Tuesday. This action was part of an intensified campaign against the storage and sale of expired food items and medicines. During the operation, the Food Safety Department and the Drugs Control Department seized expired and incorrectly labeled food products.
Additionally, Karnataka’s Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader urged the public to check the expiry dates before purchasing food items and medicines. Food products worth ₹1.38 crore and medicines worth ₹4.02 lakh were seized during the action against Amazon and Swiggy Instamart. Officials have taken the seized products into custody, and further investigations are underway. The Instamart store located in Hoskote has been shut down.
Food Products and Medicines Worth ₹3 Crore Seized
Minister Khader stated that food products and medicines worth approximately ₹3 crore have been seized across the state over the past week. These include expired products and medicines that were allegedly stored for sale after having new labels affixed to them.
During the current operation, the team found expired products—such as milk, vegetables, curd, cashew biscuits, ragi flour, chicken patties, paneer, biscuits, dry fruits, eggs, and refined flour (maida)—at Amazon’s dark store.
Appeal to Customers to Remain Vigilant
Khader appealed to customers to remain vigilant when purchasing food, medicines, and other products. He said, “I appeal to people to check the expiry date before buying any product. If you notice even the slightest clue or anything suspicious, please report it.” He stated that the state government has introduced QR codes and barcodes to assist consumers in verifying products. He also appealed to social activists to raise public awareness by disseminating information about this system in public places. Continuous inspections and public participation are essential to prevent expired and mislabeled food items and medicines from reaching consumers through both online and offline channels.
