Fake soybean oil seized in Rangpur
A mobile court has seized a large quantity of fake soybean oil, empty bottles, ingredients and equipment used to produce the oil during a raid on a factory in Pirgachha, Rangpur.
The raid was conducted on Wednesday at the accused’s two-storey house in Guabari Balapara of the upazila.
The mobile court sentenced the businessman, Mashiur Rahman, 40, to one month of simple imprisonment and fined him Tk 20,000.
Acting on a tip-off, Tarik Hasan Tahsin, executive magistrate of the mobile court and assistant commissioner (land), conducted the raid on Wednesday morning.
According to Tarik Hasan Tahsin, Mashiur owns a wholesale and retail grocery shop in the Old Bus Stand area of Pirgachha Bazar. He had allegedly been producing and marketing fake soybean oil for a long time at his home behind the shop.
Tarik Hasan Tahsin said the authorities had conducted the raid at the accused’s house based on confidential information and seized fake soybean oil, ingredients and various equipment used in its production.
“The accused has been sentenced to imprisonment and fined. Such drives will continue in the interest of consumers and the public,” he said.
Regarding the allegation that oil had been removed from the premises, he said some curious members of the crowd gathered there might have taken away some oil without the authorities’ knowledge.
During the operation, around 50-60 cartons of suspected fake soybean oil, along with ingredients used to produce the oil, empty bottles, equipment and counterfeit labels, were seized from three rooms on the ground floor of the two-storey house.
The mobile court was later convened at the spot, where Mashiur was sentenced to one month of simple imprisonment and fined Tk 20,000.
Some of the seized materials were subsequently burned and destroyed at the scene.
However, there were allegations that the accused businessman removed 10-12 barrels of oil in the presence of the administration. The allegation triggered tension among people gathered at the scene.
