KATHMANDU: An inspection team from the Department of Commerce (DoC) found a doctored pouch of ‘Pakawan’ brand oil here today.

The expiry dates on the 1-litre and half-litre Pakawan brand soya oil pouches had been tampered with, said inspection officer Kamal Bahadur Thapa.

“The oil pouches’ condition shows the tampering was intentional,” he said adding that the word six was overwritten by a black ink permanent marker in the ‘Best before six months’ segment. The owner of Budhathoki

Store, Koteshwor, did not

admit his fault and instead showed the inspection

team other pouches from a sealed cartoon.

“Pouches inside a sealed cartoon are in the same condition — the word ‘six’ is overwritten. I don’t know who is the guilty, but at least I am not,” he said.

According to DoC, the oil pouches were made in January 2009 and the expiry date is December 2009 had been added later after overwriting on the word ‘six’ because it is not written in same place of manufacturing and MRP.

“It is a serious crime, we will investigate and punish the culprit,” said Thapa.

DoC is planning to reach the manufacturer — Sri Ram Refined Oil Products Pvt Ltd, Biratnagar. Without investigation we cannot determine if the company is culprit but the situation does not rule out it, he added.

Consumer rights defender Gauri Shankar Tamang suspected it was the fault of the manufacturer. “The company is cashing in on substandard oil during festivals,” he said,

The government has set the maximum consumption period of packed edible oil

as nine months from the date of manufacture.