MELAKA, Oct 6 — A provision shop run by a foreigner was found to have committed various offences, including storing vegetables for sale in the premises’ toilet.

Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) Melaka director Norena Jaafar said the offences were detected during Op Samar at the Tanjung Minyak Industrial Park, near here on Sept 30.

She said a preliminary investigation found that a Bangladeshi man in his 40s, married to a local woman, had been running the business for over two years.

"The raid involved four KPDN enforcement officers. They began with the test purchase method to detect any misconduct by the trader before conducting a comprehensive inspection to assess the level of compliance with laws enforced by KPDN.

"The inspection revealed that the trader violated the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 and failed to comply with the Price Marking for Goods and Charges for Services Order 2020,” she said in a statement here today.

Norena added that the trader was also found selling expired items, including instant laksa, which expired on June 1. He also did not practise good hygiene when handling goods, with vegetables stored in a toilet before being cleaned and sold to consumers.

She said 26 premises were inspected under Op Samar between Jan 1 and Sept 30, and 20 cases were registered for various offences under the KPDN. — Bernama