Something smells fowl: Chicken-stuffed toilet leads to business bust

Sinar Daily

4 days ago

The premises were not only tainted with the foul smell of poultry waste but were also in an unsanitary condition.
Screenshot of the video shows several live chickens, believed to be for sale, hidden inside the premises' toilet.
MELAKA – A foul stench of animal waste from a grocery shop has led to the discovery of a Pakistani national allegedly selling live chickens that were hidden inside a toilet.
The grocery shop, operated by the individual and without a licence from the local authority (PBT), was uncovered during an operation conducted by the Melaka branch of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) in Taman Cheng Emas, Cheng, recently.
Its director, Dr Mohd Hazimin Jamaludin, said enforcement officers found that the premises were not only tainted with the foul smell of poultry waste but were also in an unsanitary condition. An enforcement officer inspects an expired electronic weighing scale that was still in use.
He explained that the man, in his 40s, initially gave evasive answers and denied operating any business at the premises, which were also found to be unlicensed by the local authority.
"However, after being presented with evidence of commercial activities, the man admitted to running an unlicensed business.
"Further inspection revealed that the premises failed to display price tags and used an electronic weighing scale that was unverified and had expired certification," he said.
Earlier, a four-minute 40-second video uploaded by KPDN Melaka on TikTok went viral.
The video shows enforcement officers inspecting the grocery store before discovering more than seven live chickens hidden in a toilet near the storeroom. A screenshot shows the Pakistani national opening the toilet door, which had been tied shut with a rope from the outside.
Hazimin added that the Pakistani trader was in the process of transferring ownership of the business, which he had purchased from a local, and currently only holds a business registration under the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM).
'KPDN Melaka issued a total compound of RM500 under the Weights and Measures Act 1972 and the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.
'The inspection found the individual had failed to display price tags on items for sale, though no seizures were made,' he added.