A video has gone viral on social media showing fake garlic made up of cement in Maharashtra’s Akola district. With prices of the essential kitchen staple skyrocketing, some vendors took advantage of the situation, selling fake garlic to unsuspecting buyers.

The scam came to light when the wife of Subhash Patil, a retired police officer residing in Bajoria Nagar, Akola, found that she was cheated by a street vendor selling artificial garlic.

Patil’s wife had purchased 250 grams of garlic from a street vendor outside her home. However, upon attempting to peel the garlic, the cloves wouldn’t separate.

Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that the garlic was, in fact, made of cement, with a white coating to make it resemble the real cooking ingredient.

Reacting to the incident, Patil said that fake garlic is being sold by the street vendor in the guise of authentic garlic, misleading consumers and potentially harming public health.

The cement garlic is being mixed with real garlic and sold in the district, making it difficult for consumers to distinguish between the genuine and the fake.

Last week, Madhya Pradesh High Court declared garlic as a vegetable, permitting its sale in both vegetable and spice markets. There was a years-long debate over whether garlic is a vegetable or a spice.

The High Court verdict is expected to benefit farmers and traders by allowing garlic to be considered a vegetable while still being categorised as a spice.

(With inputs from Dhananjay Sable.)