Savar, Mar 02 (V7N) - A shocking allegation has surfaced in Ashulia's industrial area, where unscrupulous chicken vendors are reportedly increasing the weight of "tiger chickens" by putting water inside their mouths before selling them. This fraudulent practice allows vendors to make extra profit, while buyers end up paying for water instead of meat.

The complaint was raised by Monir Hossain, a businessman from Sonamiya Market, Ashulia, who claimed to have been deceived after purchasing chicken from Abdul Mannan's shop at Faiz Uddin Supermarket.

On Friday (March 1), Monir Hossain bought six tiger chickens from Abdul Mannan’s shop, paying Tk 500 per kg, totaling Tk 7,000. However, when he brought the chickens home and his wife slaughtered them, she found water stored inside their food bags.

Monir Hossain stated: "Each chicken contained approximately 250 grams of water, meaning I paid for an additional 2 kg of water instead of meat, resulting in a loss of about Tk 2,000. This is a new kind of fraud, and I want the authorities to take action so others don’t get cheated like me."

When contacted, chicken vendor Abdul Mannan denied any involvement, saying he only resells chickens supplied to him.Abdul Mannan stated: "I buy chickens at night and sell them in the morning. If someone finds water in them, what can I do? It is the supplier's responsibility. However, I will no longer buy from that supplier."

The chicken supplier, Ayanal, also denied responsibility but admitted that chickens often lose weight during transportation.Ayanal explained: "I buy chickens from Nourish Company in Panchagarh. The company feeds them water and saline, and by the time they reach retailers, they lose weight. I recently transported a truckload of chickens, and they lost 60 kg in transit. Maybe retailers are adding more water after that, but I cannot say for sure."

Attempts to contact Nourish Company for clarification were unsuccessful. However, Sheetal from the Contract Center of the Department of Consumer Rights Protection, Ministry of Commerce, assured that action would be taken through market monitoring.

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