The authorities have shut down a wholesale edible oil shop and slapped its owner with a fine of Tk 200,000 for selling soybean oil at a price higher than that fixed by the government during a raid in the capital's Jatrabari.
Two other traders were fined Tk 50,000 for selling onions at exorbitant prices in Shyambazar.
The Ministry of Commerce and the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection jointly conducted the raids on Saturday, reports bdnews24.com.
"After receiving information that edible oil was being sold for more than the fixed price in Jatrabari, we conducted a raid on a dealer's shop called Abul Khair Traders," said Monjur Mohammad Shariar, director of the consumer protection directorate.
"We found that the trader was selling oil at Tk 173 per litre when the government has capped the price at Tk 143."
As many as 60 barrels of unpacked soybean oil were seized during the raid, according to him.
"However, the owner of Abul Khair Traders claimed that he had bought the oil at a higher price from an importer in Moulvibazar."
A team from the consumer protection directorate will visit Moulvibazar on Sunday to verify the claim, according to Shahriar.
The main focus of the operation was to monitor the onion market in Dhaka's Shyambazar, he added.
The campaign will continue in a bid to keep prices of daily commodities stable, according to officials.
"Retailers have said that wholesalers are charging high prices for oil during raids in two areas of the capital. This is driving up the retail prices," said Abul Kalam Azad, deputy secretary to the commerce ministry.
"We sent two officials to an enterprise called Abul Khair Traders to get the correct information. They first asked for Tk 176 for a litre of soybean oil. After a bit of bargaining, the dealer agreed to lower the price to Tk 173.”
