Hamdard Laboratories which sells the famous drink ‘Rooh Afza’ has been accused of cheating millions of customers in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and the Middle East through false claims, as per reports citing the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC). Roof Afza is a halal certified drink and consumed by a considerable number of Indians too.
The brand reportedly promotes Rooh Afza as a “nutritional drink” and “maintains as well as adjusts the body’s water level, has 13 herbal ingredients and 36 types of fresh fruit juices and fresh flower extracts”.
However, the Dhaka South City Corporation has said that the ingredients mentioned in the cooling drink do not exist. Moreover, reports have cited health experts saying that rooh afza may cause serious health issues to a large number of people, particularly those suffering from diabetes.
The findings were revealed from data collected from the market under the initiative by DSCC.
Moreover, a report by WeeklyBlitz said that the managing director of Hamdard, Dr Hakim Muhammad Yusuf Harun Bhuiyan has issued a written apology for the “false promotion” of the product.
The apology comes amid charges that Hamdard Laboratories (Wakf) Bangladesh offered to bribe civic authorities in Dhaka to keep the matter out of the people’s attention.
Following this, the city corporation reportedly filed a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Food Directorate on 20th February.
A report filed by Bangladeshi website Kalbela claims that the civic body collected Roof Afza from the market and tested it in the laboratory.
According to Kalbela, in 2018, the Dhaka city corporation filed a case against Hamdard after receiving evidence of fraud. The managing director of Hamdard voluntarily pleaded guilty in the case and paid Rs 4 lakh as fine.
However, the court ordered a refund of the fine after the company filed an appeal. The city corporation then wrote a letter to the Safe Food Authority on 19th February to appeal against the same.
The company reportedly stepped up tp block the civic corporation’s appeal and Buiyan offered to bribe the corporation officials.
Kalbela has claimed to have accessed a video which shows Hamdard’s Assistant Director (Administration) Ali Ahmed is repeatedly requesting City Corporation’s Safe Food Inspector Mohammad Kamrul Hasan to not proceed with the appeal and offering to give money for it.
“I am from Hamdard office. If you do not appeal, you will be honored. Let the judgment we have received stand,” Ali Ahmed can be heard saying in the video, Kalbela claims.
In the video, the Hamdard official is also heard saying, ‘We say more than what is in Ruh Afza.’
Civic official Kamrul Hasan told the Bangladeshi newspaper that Hamdard has been doing immoral things since the beginning. He said that it is unethical to plead guilty in one court and appeal against the verdict in another court.
The Dhaka South City Corporation’s CEO has sought action against the company with the Anti-Corruption Commission.
