The Sindh Food Authority and police have sealed a house in Karachi’s Shadman Town where counterfeit cooking oil and ghee were being packed under the names of famous brands.
A joint team raided the house after receiving a tip about illegal manufacturing inside a residential property. The team found heavy machinery for filling and packaging oil and ghee, and seized substandard loose oil, empty bottles, cartons, branded labels and sealing machines.
The factory had been operating from the house during the day and staying shut at night. Officials sealed the premises and started legal proceedings against those behind the operation.
Counterfeit cooking oil packed under famous brands
The raid recovered counterfeit cooking oil and ghee carrying the names of well-known brands, including Soya Supreme, Dalda and Habib. Low-quality oil and ghee were being packed into counterfeit containers bearing the names of established brands before being sent to shops across Karachi.
The three brands are household names in Pakistani kitchens, which is what made the fraud work. Shoppers reaching for a familiar label would have had no easy way to tell the packed product from the real one.
A spokesperson for the Sindh Food Authority said heavy machinery had been installed inside the house to fill and package the oil and ghee. Alongside the machinery, the team seized loose substandard oil, empty bottles, cartons, branded labels, sealing machines and other packaging material used in the operation.
The raid in Shadman Town
The Sindh Food Authority and Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan police carried out the raid together after the tip came in. When the team arrived, the premises were locked. The team gained access, seized the equipment and materials found inside, and sealed the property.
Police said further investigation is under way to find out how long the factory had been running, identify those responsible and trace the distribution network that supplied counterfeit cooking oil and ghee to shops across the city.
No arrests were reported by Saturday evening, and officials did not say how much counterfeit stock had already reached shops. That question now sits at the centre of the investigation, since the packed oil was meant for sale across Karachi.
What investigators will trace next
The first task is to map the supply chain. Investigators will trace where the loose oil came from, who printed the branded labels and cartons, and which shops bought the packed stock. Each link in that chain points to people who knew what was being sold.
The second task is to work out how long the unit ran. A factory that fills and packs oil needs steady supplies of raw oil, bottles, labels and cartons, and those purchases leave a trail. The longer it ran, the more counterfeit stock may already be on shop shelves.
The third task is legal. The authority and police have started proceedings against those involved, and the case will test how quickly counterfeit food cases move once a unit is sealed.
Why it matters for shoppers
Counterfeit food is not only a fraud on shoppers. Substandard edible oil can carry health risks, and the people most exposed are families who buy familiar brands and trust the label. When a fake product carries a real brand name, that trust is what the fraud sells.
This is not the first such seizure in Pakistan. The Punjab Food Authority seized counterfeit snacks in a raid in Multan, and officials in Lahore seized meat from a lumpy skin disease case last month. Eateries in Rawalpindi Cantonment have also faced fines for food safety breaches.
Karachi shoppers already face tight household budgets, and official rates for essentials such as beef and mutton are fixed and checked in the city. Counterfeit cooking oil adds a hidden cost on top of those prices, since families pay full price for a product that is not what the label claims.
The Shadman Town raid shows the system can work when a tip reaches the right office. Whether it leads to the people behind the network, and to the shops that stocked the fake oil, will decide if the seizure is a one-off raid or the start of a wider clean-up.
Frequently asked questions
Where was the counterfeit cooking oil factory found?
The factory was operating inside a house in Shadman Town, Karachi. The Sindh Food Authority and Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan police raided it together after a tip.
Which brands were copied?
Counterfeit cooking oil and ghee were packed under the names of Soya Supreme, Dalda and Habib.
What did officials seize?
Officials seized substandard loose oil, empty bottles, cartons, branded labels, sealing machines and other packaging material, along with the filling and packaging machinery.
What happens next?
Police and the food authority have sealed the premises and started legal proceedings. Investigators are tracing how long the factory ran, who ran it and which shops received the counterfeit stock.
