Bhavnagar, Gujarat: Six people have been arrested in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district over an alleged conspiracy to manipulate milk-fat reports and cause a financial loss of approximately Rs 53 lakh to CRAVE CREAMERY LLP, a milk company based in Bhojpara village.
The case emerged after company owner Shail Shakunt Apte filed three separate complaints against individuals at Bharatnagar, Velavadar Bhal and Talaja police stations. According to the complaints, some employees of the company allegedly colluded with milk traders and other individuals to prepare fake milk-fat reports instead of the original reports for milk supplied to the company.
Alleged Manipulation of Milk-Fat Reports
Police said the accused allegedly entered into a pre-planned criminal conspiracy to manipulate milk-fat records. The alleged changes were intended to facilitate cheating and ultimately cause financial losses to the dairy company.
Milk-fat reports are an important component of dairy procurement because the fat content of milk can influence the price paid to suppliers. Any deliberate alteration of such records can therefore have a direct financial impact on a dairy business.
According to the complaints, the alleged manipulation resulted in a loss of around Rs 53 lakh to CRAVE CREAMERY LLP.
Considering the seriousness of the allegations and the involvement of multiple individuals, senior police officials transferred the investigation of all three cases to the Local Crime Branch (LCB).
Six Accused Arrested
Following the transfer, separate LCB teams were formed to conduct searches at locations identified during the investigation. Police subsequently arrested six people in connection with the three cases and initiated proceedings to seek their police custody remand.
Three arrests were made in the case registered at Velavadar Bhal police station. They are Ratnabhai Mer, 27, a milk trader from Ganeshgadh; Shivbhadrasinh Chudasama, 30, a milk trader from Bavaliyali in Dholera taluka; and Gopalbhai Mewada, 23, an employee of CRAVE CREAMERY and resident of Tarsamiya Road in Bhavnagar.
The Velavadar Bhal case has been registered under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including Sections 316, 318, 336, 338, 340, 344, 3(5) and 61(2).
In the case registered at Talaja police station, police arrested Jagdishbhai Tota, 38, a businessman from Fulsar village, and Nanubhai Hadgarda, 39, also a businessman from Fulsar. The same set of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions has been invoked in this case.
Jaydeepbhai Bhuva, 26, who runs a milk dairy and lives in the Ghogha Jakatnaka area of Bhavnagar, was arrested in the case registered at Bharatnagar police station.
Previous Cases Against Two Accused
Police also said that some of the arrested individuals have previous criminal cases registered against them.
According to police, Ratnabhai Mer was previously booked at Velavadar Bhal police station under provisions of the Indian Penal Code related to unlawful assembly, voluntarily causing hurt, rioting, wrongful restraint, criminal intimidation and damage to property. The earlier case also included Section 135 of the Gujarat Police Act.
Jagdishbhai Tota also has a previous case registered at Talaja police station in 2019 under IPC Sections 323, 504, 506(2) and 114, along with Section 135 of the Gujarat Police Act.
The investigation into the alleged manipulation of milk-fat reports remains ongoing. Police are examining the role of the arrested individuals and the circumstances surrounding the preparation and use of the allegedly fraudulent reports.
The case highlights the importance of accurate milk testing and transparent procurement systems in the dairy industry, where milk-fat measurements can directly influence payments and financial transactions between dairy companies, traders and producers.