Prince Bazar Fined Tk 50,000 for Not Supplying Products to Consumers as Requested

A mobile court operated by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has fined a retail outlet of Prince Bazar Tk 50,000 for failing to supply products to consumers according to their demand.

The action was taken on Friday morning during an operation at the Mirpur-1 Circle outlet in the capital following allegations from customers. Authorities said the store imposed conditions on consumers who wanted to purchase soybean oil.

According to RAB, customers were reportedly required to buy additional goods worth around Tk 3,000 in order to purchase two 5-liter containers of soybean oil from the outlet. Based on complaints, RAB conducted a drive at the store, where investigators found evidence supporting the allegations.

During the operation, officials from the outlet claimed that there had been no formal directive from the company to impose such conditions on buyers. However, after verifying the complaints, the mobile court decided to take action under the Consumer Rights Protection Act.

The court imposed a Tk 50,000 fine on the establishment and issued a warning to ensure such practices are not repeated in the future.

RAB Executive Magistrate Shah Mohammad Zubair said the penalty was imposed as a warning for the first offense. He added that the purpose of the action is to send a message across the country that no form of rationing or conditional sales should be imposed on consumers without government instructions.

Authorities also stated that such monitoring operations will continue to ensure that consumers receive products fairly and without restrictions in the market.