Bhiwandi sweet shop shut down after video of rat in gulab jamun container goes viral

The Food and Drug Administration in Maharashtra has ordered a popular sweet shop in Bhiwandi to close immediately after a video surfaced online showing a live rat crawling inside a large container of gulab jamuns.

The footage, which circulated widely on social media, shows the rodent swimming and moving through the syrup-filled metal vat where the sweets were kept for sale. The shop, identified as Harish Gulab Jamun, is a well-known local establishment in the Thane district, particularly famous for its sweets.

Public anger and the FDA inspection

The video triggered immediate outrage among residents, who gathered in protest outside the shop on Wednesday evening to demand action against the owners.

"We have been buying sweets from this shop for years," one resident said during the protest. "Such an incident is shocking and has raised serious questions about hygiene and the quality of food being served."

Responding to the public outcry, a team of FDA inspectors visited the premises the same evening to conduct an unannounced inspection. Officials drafted a formal report of their findings, known as a panchnama, and took samples of the gulab jamuns and other foodstuffs to send for laboratory analysis.

During the raid, inspectors discovered that the business did not possess the mandatory Food Business Registration Certificate required to operate legally. Citing this critical regulatory violation alongside the hygiene concerns, the FDA issued an immediate stop-business notice, ordering the shop to halt all sales and shut its doors until further notice.

A wider crackdown on food safety

The action in Bhiwandi is part of a broader, intensified campaign by the Maharashtra FDA under its commissioner, Tukaram Mundhe, ahead of the festive season when sweet sales typically surge.

The regulator has ramped up surprise inspections across the state, targeting poor hygiene, improper food storage, and missing documentation. In Mumbai, the FDA recently suspended the licences of eight eateries and cancelled or suspended the registration certificates of three others.

Inspectors have also carried out large-scale seizures of adulterated and banned substances. In Pune district, the FDA uncovered a major milk adulteration racket involving detergent and industrial chemicals, resulting in the destruction of more than 16,730 litres of milk. Meanwhile, in Akola, authorities seized nearly 1,900 kilograms of khoya — a key ingredient in many traditional sweets — over concerns regarding its quality and preparation hygiene.

What happens next

The FDA has stated that the suspension of operations at Harish Gulab Jamun will remain in place while the investigation continues. Further legal or regulatory proceedings against the shop owners will depend on the results of the laboratory tests on the collected food samples.