KLUANG - A convenience store in Taman Pelangi Jaya here operated by Pakistanis has been found to increase the price of sugar to RM3 per kilogram (kg).
Johor Muafakat Nasional (MN) committee member Kamalariffin Abdul Rahman said that the store should have been selling sugar at a price of RM2.85 per kg.
"As soon as we received complaints from the residents of this housing estate, we came to investigate and found that there was indeed a price increase at the convenience store.
"To confuse buyers, the sale of sugar was done in a discreet manner and was only sold when there were customers willing to buy it. The store owner claimed that there was no sugar supply and supposedly bought sugar supplies from a supermarket.
"Sugar was sold at RM3 for 1kg, and the prices of many other essential items were also raised," he said when met by reporters today.
Kamalariffin said the investigation found that the store's operator was a Pakistani believed to have been hired from a local resident.
Additionally, he said that MN had also received reports indicating that several other convenience stores in the area, including Taman Suria, had also raised the prices of essential items, especially controlled items.
As a result, he urged the Domestic Trade and Costs of Living Ministry (KPDN) to conduct an immediate investigation.
"An inspection also found that local rice is very limited in the convenience stores in this housing estate, which is very stressful because imported rice is mostly priced at RM36 and above for a 10kg bag," he said.