SEBERANG JAYA: Authorities are investigating whether a shop here has been selling controlled goods, such as 1kg polybag cooking oil, sugar and flour, to foreigners, in the area at higher prices.
This came after the Penang Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry found the sundry shop, along Jalan Tenggiri here, had rented a double-storey house behind its premises to store the items.
The state ministry's director, S. Jegan, said that following an intelligence activity, it carried out enforcement action on the rented house about 10am today.
There, it discovered 986kg of subsidised 1kg polybag cooking oil, 84kg of bottled cooking oil, 327kg of 1kg bagged sugar and 141.2kg of flour and other items.
"We (the ministry) seized the controlled goods together with several documents to assist in our investigation. All the items seized are worth RM4,849.
"We are looking into the possibility of whether the sundry shop is selling these items to foreigners in the area at higher prices behind 'closed doors'.
"This is because there is an access route linking the sundry shop and house," he told newsmen at the scene this afternoon.
Jegan said the sundry shop was licensed to store and sell the controlled goods only in the sundry shop and not elsewhere.
He said if the shopkeeper wanted to store the controlled goods in the rented house, the person should have applied for a separate licence.
Jegan said a 28-year-old Indian national, who is looking after the house, had cooperated with authorities.
He said that according to intelligence reports, the house had been rented for the past month while the sundry shop had been operating for the past two years.
The sundry shop belongs to a Malaysian although an Indian national runs it.
"According to initial investigation, the sundry shop (owner) claimed the premises were small, and as such, they (the shop owner) needed to rent the house to store their goods.
"Initially, they did not reveal the existence of the rented house.
"We will need to investigate further," he added, noting that the case is probed under Section 20(1) of the Control Supply Act 1961.