About 480 kilograms of mangoes, artificially ripened with calcium carbide, were seized from a godown near the Jain temple in Mattancherry on Saturday and two persons were arrested in this connection. The arrested persons have been identified as Shakkeer and Rafeeq, hailing from Mattancherry. The surprise raid was carried out on the basis of a tip-off.
According to officials, the chemical substance was found concealed in the 24 cartons containing mangoes, in addition to a box containing 20 kilograms of orange. “In addition to the packets inside the mango cartons, we also seized 7.5 kilograms of the substance from the godown,” they said.
Consumption of artificially ripened mangoes could cause serious health hazards such as stomach ulcer, loss of appetite, insomnia and even lead to cancer. Black spots were found in almost all the seized fruits. Officials hinted at more such raids in the coming days.
