By: Aida Aziz
IPOH: The actions of a trader who concealed subsidized cooking oil packs and sold them exclusively to foreigners at a retail business premises near Desa Chepor Indah, Chemor, were exposed yesterday.
Director of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDN) in Perak, Datuk Kamalludin Ismail, stated that the activity was uncovered after KPDN enforcement officers conducted a raid at the business premises at 12:04 noon on Sunday.
He said the raid was carried out after receiving a public complaint that the trader refused to sell subsidized cooking oil packs to locals, instead catering exclusively to foreign customers.
“A disguise operation through Operation Samar was carried out by KPDN enforcement officers. An officer posing as a local buyer conducted a test purchase of cooking oil packs, but the trader claimed that the cooking oil had already been sold out.
Suspicious of the trader’s statement, a team of enforcement officers conducted a thorough inspection of the grocery store.
The examination successfully uncovered five boxes of 1-kilogram cooking oil packs placed beside the counter and at the rear of the premises,” he said in a statement on Monday.
Kamalludin stated that a 37-year-old local woman claiming to be the premises owner failed to provide a clear answer as to why the oil was not sold to buyers. He added that she also mentioned the cooking oil being sold out when asked.
“Monitoring of the premises found that the grocery store, operating from 8 am to 9 pm, was frequently visited by foreigners.
Seizure action was taken on the controlled items, totaling 90 packets of 1kg cooking oil, along with copies of the Controlled Items Retail License (CSA), copies of the company registration license (SSM), and relevant documents,” he said.
He further clarified that the estimated value of the seizure was RM225.
Therefore, he said the case is being investigated under the Supply Control Act 1961 for suspected offenses under Section 16A(1)(b), namely refusing to sell controlled items without the permission of an authorized controller or any supply controller authorized in writing by the controller.
