Maldivian police have arrested five Bangladeshis for their alleged involvement in collecting and trading used cooking oil from resorts, an act that breaches the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) regulations.
Law enforcement officials said the arrests were made during a late-night operation following a tip-off about individuals unloading oil containers from a dinghy onto a pickup truck near the Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) Container Jetty, reports The Standard Maldives.
Upon inspection of the vessel, the dinghy, and the vehicle, officers recovered 46 containers of used cooking oil believed to have originated from resorts.
The detainees were taken before court for a custody hearing. The court granted conditional release to one of them while ordering 10-day remand for the remaining four. The arrested individuals have been identified as Al Amin Boyati, 37, Dulal Miah, 32, Mohammad Rasel Miah, 34, and Manwar Hossain, 45.
Local police said the investigation remains ongoing.
According to MFDA regulations, the reuse or resale of used cooking oil is strictly banned due to its potential health hazards. Repeatedly heated oil can form harmful compounds and cause contamination, posing significant risks to public health.
