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Authorities in Kuala Lumpur have uncovered a scheme involving subsidised cooking oil, which was allegedly repackaged and resold as prayer oil at inflated prices
During Ops Tiris 4.0 raids at four premises in Sentul and Chow Kit, officers from the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) seized roughly nine tonnes of cooking oil worth RM165,000.
KPDN Kuala Lumpur deputy director Mohd Shahran Mohd Arshad revealed that the syndicate bought the oil at a subsidised rate and sold it for more than three times the purchase price
He explained that the syndicate purchased subsidised oil packets for RM2.45 per litre, manually snipped them open, and transferred the oil into larger bottles before selling it as prayer oil for RM7.50 per litre.
"For just one premise, an estimated 200 bottles or nearly one tonne of subsidised cooking oil was processed a day," said Mohd Shahran.
Investigations found that the operation had been running illegally for six months
According to the New Straits Times, five men aged between 30 and 35, including four foreign nationals and a local van driver, were arrested during the raids.
Enforcement officers are currently tracking down the alleged mastermind, a licensed wholesaler, as investigations continue under the Control of Supplies Act 1961 and the Trade Descriptions Act 2011.
