A large-scale milk adulteration racket has been exposed in Chatmohar upazila of Pabna, where unscrupulous local farmers and traders were found mixing hazardous chemicals—including detergent, palm oil, soda, and hydrogen peroxide—with raw milk.
The tainted milk was regularly supplied to PRAN Dairy’s chilling centre at Chaikola and distributed nationwide, including to Dhaka.
The operation was uncovered earlier this week during a coordinated raid led by Chatmohar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and Executive Magistrate Musa Naser Chowdhury, with support from law enforcement personnel.
Raids were carried out in Langalmora village and at PRAN’s chilling centre in Chaikola, exposing the entire supply chain of adulteration.
Field tests conducted during the raid detected industrial-grade chemicals such as detergent and hydrogen peroxide—both extremely harmful to human health.
Hydrogen peroxide, typically used as a disinfectant, and detergent, intended for cleaning clothes, pose grave risks if ingested. Officials confirmed that these substances were present in milk collected from PRAN’s facility.
Five individuals from Langalmora were arrested for producing and supplying the adulterated milk. Based on their confessions, a subsequent raid on the chilling centre led to the seizure and destruction of 6,000 litres of contaminated milk.
A mobile court sentenced three PRAN officials to six months’ imprisonment for their role in collecting, storing, and distributing the tainted milk.
The convicted are Shamsul Alam, Area Manager of PRAN’s Gurudaspur zone; along with staff members Zahir Raihan and Nazmul Hossain—employees of one of the country’s leading fast-moving consumer goods companies.
The five arrested suppliers—Saidul Islam, his son Liton Hossain, Nizam Uddin, Rubel Hossain, and Majeda Khatun—were handed over to the police and later sent to jail following court orders.
Mofazzal Hossain, additional food safety inspector of Pabna, confirmed the chemical contamination and stated that other seized substances were being sent for laboratory testing.
Medical experts expressed grave concerns. “Hydrogen peroxide is meant for external use only, while detergents are corrosive and can cause internal burns,” warned Dr Saleh Muhammad Ali, senior consultant at Pabna General Hospital. “Long-term consumption may be fatal.”
Dr Ali added, “Many countries impose capital punishment for food adulteration. Bangladesh must also introduce and enforce exemplary punishment for such crimes. Food is a fundamental human right, and tampering with it is unacceptable.”
Sharif Uddin, assistant general manager of PRAN Dairy, said the company operates 21 chilling centres in Pabna and surrounding districts, collecting 35,000 to 40,000 litres of milk daily for packaging in Dhaka. When asked about the adulteration scandal at Chatmohar, he declined to comment.
However, Touhiduzzaman, deputy general manager of Public Relations at PRAN-RFL Group, told Times of Bangladesh that the company had earlier identified some local farmers as the source of contaminated supply.
“We immediately removed those suppliers. Chilling centres are our first point of quality control. Had the adulterated milk reached our hubs, our modern testing systems would have detected it,” he said.
He added, “We ensure that all dairy products pass through a four-step quality control process, which is both rigorous and expensive, to prevent any adulterated product from reaching consumers.”