CAA raid nets expired Bakery Ingredient racket

The investigations unit of the Gampaha Consumer Affairs Authority (caa) has raided a ware house in which a stock of expired bakery ingredients were being prepared to be distributed to the market, on 1st of February, the value of the stock of items had been valued to be worth Rs.15 million. The ingredients discovered is suspected to be unsuitable for human consumption.

The Chief of the Gampaha District Investigations Unit of the (CAA) Pradeep Kaluarachchi said that the stores manager has also been taken into custody in the raid carried out in Wattala following a tip off received by Asela Bandara, Director (raids) of the Consumers Authority in Gampaha.

The detection had revealed that many bakery items including varieties of butter, essences and colouring which were to be used for bakery products had exceeded their expiry dates.

Mr. Kaluarachchi said that they had found some items on which the expiry dates had already been changed. There were some unexpired items which had been packed together with expired items.

The Investigation Officers suspect that bakery items may have been issued to the market from the warehouse for a considerable period.

The suspect was released on bail and was ordered to appear before the Wattala Magistrate’s Court on the date informed by the Authority.

Steps have been taken to seal the warehouse. The raid was carried out by the Director (raids) Asela Bandara and Chief of the unit Pradeep Kaluarachchi together with Investigation Officers Y.M.S.YAPA Ratna, Deelipa Karunaratna, Hashan Kalaubovila, Ravindu Kushan, aruna Shantha,malinga Gunasekera and M.N. Naufice, on the instructions of the Chairman of the Authority Rtd Major General Shantha Dissanayaka and Government Agent of Gampaha Sunil Jayalath.