A team of officials led by the assistant commissioner of the Kundapur sub-division in Udupi district raided multiple locations in Alevoor village following reports of an illegal chemical banana-ripening network on Thursday morning.
The joint team targeted three warehouses belonging to banana traders and stockists simultaneously in Kemthur (Alevoor village) and the nearby Duggili area near Manipal. The raiding team included assistant commissioner Rashmi SR, food and health inspection officer Vivek Thirumala, Tahsildar P Gururaj, village accountants Kartik Bhat and Vijaya, and food inspector Leelananda. During the operation, authorities discovered that traders were using harmful chemicals and artificial coloring agents to artificially ripen bananas and enhance their appearance. Officials seized ripening chemicals, coloring substances, processing equipment, and vehicles utilized in the illicit operation. Rashmi added that officers also noticed several buckets during the raid, which were allegedly used to dip raw bananas into the seized chemicals. Local resident M Sharath Kumar had filed a lawsuit in the Udupi court citing severe health issues among neighborhood residents. However, despite the court order a decade ago, the illicit trade has continued.
During the raid, authorities seized 5,000 kg of raw banana bunches valued at ₹ 4 lakh, along with chemicals, artificial colors, and equipment used for artificial ripening. In 2016, the Principal Civil Judge Court in Udupi issued an injunction against an illegal banana storage warehouse operating near residential homes on Rampura-Kemthur Road for using banned calcium carbide.
Police said a case has been registered. Action was initiated following specific intelligence that chemically treated bananas were being supplied to local shops, weekly markets, and daily vendors in and around Udupi, they said. Rashmi said that the raid started simultaneously in three locations on Thursday morning.
