Milk made using laundry detergent:20 litres turned into 80 within minutes, camera expose reveals racket in UP belt

Milk is often considered a rich source of calcium and an essential part of a balanced diet that supports overall well-being and boosts metabolism. But what if the milk you consume turns out to be synthetic and potentially harmful to your health? Shockingly, several factories manufacturing fake milk have mushroomed across areas of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan bordering Uttar Pradesh, driven by these huge profits and are involved in a large-scale synthetic milk racket. To expose the network, a Dainik Bhaskar reporter posed as a milk trader and infiltrated these illegal manufacturing units. The process of making synthetic milk is alarmingly simple. Soy oil and detergent paste are mixed together by hand before being blended into nearly 60 litres of water. To this, operators add 20 litres of pure milk along with around 2 kg of molasses powder or glucose. Skimmed milk powder is then added to thicken the mixture — producing nearly 80 litres of synthetic milk within minutes. The fake milk reportedly costs around Rs 25 per litre to manufacture, while the racket earns profits of Rs 25-30 per litre. In recent weeks, authorities seized 1,400 litres of synthetic milk in Bulandshahr and another 450 litres in Agra, pointing to the scale of the illegal trade. Read the full investigation Reporter reaches illegal factory in Rajasthan Using sources in Bulandshahr and Agra, the reporter travelled to Basai Nawab town in Rajasthan’s Dholpur district, where labourers were openly preparing synthetic milk. Workers there said they earn salaries of Rs 15,000-20,000 per month and can manufacture 80-100 litres of synthetic milk every hour. A labourer identified as Kedar Singh explained the process. “Urea and glucose are both used” Inside the ‘difference milk’ codeword During the investigation, the reporter discovered a codeword used in the milk trade — “Difference”. Fake or synthetic milk is commonly referred to as “difference milk”. The racket categorises adulterated milk into four levels: 2 difference 3 difference 4 difference Above 4 difference “We can supply any quantity”: Trader offers takers of fake milk The reporter later contacted a trader named Umesh after obtaining his number from a factory guard in Basai Nawab. “No problem, we can supply as much as you want” Another trader promises 50,000 litres daily Umesh later directed the reporter to Maniya town, nearly 40 km away on the Gwalior highway. There, another trader named Sonu negotiated a deal for fake milk supply. “No one catches us” “Shift your stock here, I’ll arrange 50,000 litres daily” The reporter told Sonu that the milk stock was stored near Tedhi Bagiya area in Agra. Sonu then suggested moving operations closer to Rajasthan. How fake milk passes standard tests Milk quality is commonly checked through two parameters: Normal milk typically contains: Synthetic milk manufacturers reportedly add molasses powder to artificially increase fat readings during testing. Glucose powder raises SNF levels to nearly 8%, allowing fake milk to appear genuine during routine checks. Fake milk trade worth ₹135 crore daily Uttar Pradesh consumes nearly 8 crore litres of loose milk daily. About 50% — nearly 4 crore litres — comes from western UP. According to a report by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), nearly 67% of milk products in India are adulterated. Applying that estimate to western UP suggests that around 2.7 crore litres of milk supplied daily could potentially be fake or adulterated. Milk manufactured at Rs 30 per litre is allegedly sold in UP at around Rs 50 per litre, creating an estimated daily illegal market worth Rs 135 crore Doctors warn of cancer and organ damage According to Dr Arun Srivastava, Chief Medical Officer of Agra Border areas become hub of fake milk industry Synthetic milk is reportedly being manufactured openly in homes and factories across: Authorities reportedly struggle to crack down due to the tri-state border network. Most fake milk from these regions is supplied to Agra, Aligarh, Mathura, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Meerut and Noida before reaching Delhi-NCR markets. The report alleges that enforcement agencies often fail to act effectively, with traders allegedly receiving advance information before raids. While official seizures in UP crossed only 5,000 litres in a month, traders caught on camera claimed they could supply 50,000 litres of synthetic milk every day. 40% milk samples failed in UP Between April 2025 and February 2026, authorities collected 39,568 milk samples across Uttar Pradesh. Out of these, 15,361 samples failed quality tests — meaning nearly 40% were found to be adulterated or fake. Despite the alarming figures, the report claims strict action from authorities has remained limited.