Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has unearthed a factory for manufacturing adulterated honey in the suburbs of Manikganj.
The elite force also arrested eight persons for their involvement with making adulterated honey and recovered 40 litter adulterated honey and various ingredients for making honey.
The arrested persons were identified as Md. Kasem Sarkar, 50, son of Robbani Sarkar, Kamal Sheikh, 25, son of late Mohir Uddin Sheikh, Mostafa Molla, 22, son of Ayin Uddin Molla, Md. Khokon, 25, son of late Javed Sheikh, Sheikh Pintu, 18, son of Md. Mahatab, Md. Shohel Sheikh, 24, son of Md. Abdul Gofur Sheikh, Siddique Biswas, 45, son of Ismail Biswas, Kitab Uddin Sheikh, 40 son of late Jonab Ali Sheikh hail from Purbopara village in Suja nogor upazila in Pabna district.
Company Commander in Manikganj CPC-3 of RAB-4 and Senior ASP Unu Mong said, We came to know, a group of dishonest traders at Manra villagers has been making adulterated honey and supplying it to different districts of the country.
On the basis of intelligence information, a team of the elite force, conducted a drive at Manra village in Manikganj municipal area at 10.30 pm on Wednesday night and caught 8 persons red handed while they were manufacturing adulterated honey.
During the raid, a factory for making adulterated honey was found in the rented house of Manora. About 40 litter of adulterated honey, a digital scale, sugar as ingredients for making honey, five empty sacks of sugar, alum, water and some wasted bees were recovered.
Professor Dr Abu Bokkor Siddique, a medicine consultant of Colonel Malek Medical College and Hospital in Manikganj said, people are buying suger thinking it is honey. Sugar syrup are also mixing in honey. As a result, people are unknowingly eating sugar, which is fatally harmful. After taking this honey, their blood sugar level will increase further. Others will gain weight, have digestive problems.
Nutrition will remain incomplete. ‘Eating more than 25-30 grams of added sugar daily is bound to lead to obesity. Obesity causes heart disease, hypertension, osteoarthritis.
Moreover it increases the risk of covid infection. As a result, there is no benefit in drinking honey mixed with sugar syrup, otherwise the situation may get worse, the Professor further said
During the preliminary interrogation, the detainees admitted that they had rented a house in Manra village of Manikganj municipal area and had been making adulterated honey with almond honey flavor and color for a long time.
About the process of making honey, the arrested persons said that after mixing sugar, alum, water and wasted honey, it was burnt in the fire. In this process adulterated honey is made. To make one kg of honey is cost about 100 Tk. After making adulterated honey is sold at a wholesale price of Tk 200 to Tk 400 per kg, they said.
