A fake factory, which had been used manufacture and adulterate various types of saline and beverage items, was busted by the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) personnel at a building in Kantasur of the capital’s Mohammadpur.
Meanwhile, a mobile court sentenced two years jail and fined Tk2 lakh as fine to Peer Mohammad Bishwas, 62, the owner cum chairman of the factory named ‘SOS Foods and Agro Ltd’ and his manager Samilul Alam, 32, was also jailed for one year.
The mobile court also sealed off the factory housed in a 3-storey building at Kantasur from where all 10 machines, huge quantity of fake and adulterated items were seized and destroyed.
Led by executive magistrate Anisur Rahman, the mobile court was accompanied by the personnel of Rab-2 and Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute.
Raihan Uddin Khan, Operation Officer of Rab-2, told the Dhaka Tribune, acting on a tip-off the fake factory, the mobile court in support with the personnel from the Rab-2 and BSTI conducted the raid at the factory from 4:30pm to 8:00pm.
“Despite having no drugs license, approval from the BSTI and even any chemist, various saline, beverage items and sauce items were being manufactured in the factory as well as supplied in the market since last one year,” said Raihan Uddin Khan.
Asked, the Rab-2 official said during the drive more than 20 other people were also found in the building, but none of them were convicted as they had been working there as the labourers.
The magistrate said the factory been sealed off so that it could not manufacture or adulterate such fake items further causing risks to the lives of the people while those two persons were convicted for leaving public life into danger and running such a factory with the BSTI approval and drugs license.
Both the factory owner and his manager were sent to the jail Thursday night.