Kathmandu, December 3

The Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu today raided the warehouse of Swastik Oil Industries located at Jadibuti in Kathmandu, and impounded five trucks laden with edible oil that the company planned to sell at higher rate than existing market price.

Swastik Oil Industries is one of the flagship businesses of prominent business house, KL Dugar Group, which started raising the price of edible oil all of a sudden since last one-and-a-half months, when the market began witnessing shortage of edible oil due to disruptions in supply of daily essentials from India because of Tarai unrest.

Talking to The Himalayan Times, Superintendent of Police at Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu Bishwo Raj Pokharel said the police have sealed the warehouse of the company that manufactured edible oil. He further informed that the company was preparing to dispatch the trucks laden with edible oil carrying price tag of Rs 320 per litre — double the price during normal times — to the market.

“The company was planning to sell the products at inflated rate by capitalising on the dire situation facing the country,” said Pokharel, adding, “We will further expand our investigation to control such unethical practices, including hoarding and black-marketing.”

Police have also arrested Aman Jain, manager of Swastik Oil Industries, and Liaison Officer Pramod Adhikari from the warehouse.

A case would be filed against the company for engaging in black-marketing, according to Pokharel.

“The seized products will not be discarded, but the company will be required to dispatch the edible oil that we have seized at normal market rate,” he added, in response to what would happen to the products.