Mobile court raids illegal tea warehouse in Mirsarai, seizes 5 tonnes of 'adulterated' tea
During the raid, authorities confiscated five tonnes of adulterated tea leaves, alongside a significant quantity of fraudulent wrappers designed to mimic premium Ceylon tea packaging
A mobile court raided an illegal tea factory in the Baratakia Bazar area of Chattogram's Mirsarai on Saturday (4 May), and seized five tonnes of adulterated tea leaves with a stockpile of counterfeit wrappers.
The raid was conducted in collaboration with the National Security Intelligence (NSI) officials from Chattogram and the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) members.
It was led by Mirsarai Assistant Commissioner (Land) Prashant Chakraborty.
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"During the raid, authorities confiscated five tonnes of adulterated tea leaves, alongside a significant quantity of fraudulent wrappers designed to mimic premium Ceylon tea packaging," he said.
"The mastermind behind the illegal operation, identified as Jhantu Pal from the Mayani area of Mirsarai, allegedly marketed low-quality tea leaves under false branding, circumventing BSTI regulations and consumer protection laws," the assistant commissioner added.
He said, "Jhantu Pal's modus operandi included imitating renowned tea brands such as Savron and Miyajipur, while deceiving consumers with substandard products packaged without BSTI approval.
"Jhantu also exploited BSTI's logo without authorisation, and misrepresented the origin of the tea by falsely labelling it as manufactured in Dhaka's Agargaon area instead of Mirsarai."
The assistant commissioner also said authorities had initiated legal proceedings against Jhantu Pal under the BSTI Act 2018 and the Consumer Rights Protection Act 2009, although he fled during the raid.
