Cuttack: Police have busted a racket that sold adulterated cement and arrested one person in this connection and seized 340 cement bags.

The racket functioned in a depot. The arrested person has been identified as the manager of the depot, Surendra Kandi, 48, of Marichipur in Balikuda area of Jagatsinghpur. At present, the owner of the depot, Rintu Das, of Mahanadi Vihar area in the city is absconding.

This is the second such racket busted by the Cuttack police in less than three months. The police said they got information on Thursday that adulterated cement was being prepared at a godown at Pira Bazar.

Acting on the tip off, a team from Sadar police station went on a search operation on the premises of the godown and found stacks of the adulterated cement. It was found that Rintu Das, the owner of the godown, has been collecting empty packets of cement brands. After filling those packets with adulterated cement Das sold them in the market as genuine at the original price, the police said.

"During the raids, 340 packets of adulterated cement were found in the godown along with raw materials, funnel and cement packets of various brands," deputy commissioner of police Akhileswar Singh said.

"Manager of the godown Surendra Kandi admitted that adulterated cement was being sold inside the godown," Singh said.

The manager and the owner of the godown was involved in the business of the adulterated cement.

"A case has been registered under Section 420 and various other sections of the IPC and the Trade and Merchandise Mark Act following the arrest of the manager for using false trade mark with an intention to cheat the people. Raids are continuing for immediate arrest of the owner who has been absconding," Singh said.

In May, the police had busted an adulterated cement selling racket and seized 7547 packets of various brands from the premises of an unit inside the Jagatpur Industrial Estate.