Dabur factory in Nepal raided: Reports

KATHMANDU - Consumer goods giant Dabur India’s joint venture in Nepal has been raided by officials acting on complaints against the quality of its Real brand of fruit juice, media reports said Monday.

However, there was no immediate confirmation from Dabur Nepal despite efforts to contact the multinational company in Kathmandu.

At least three television channels Monday said Dabur Nepal’s factory in Bara district in southern Nepal were raided by a team from the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) in the morning following complaints against its Real brand of fruit juice.

However, CIAA officials also remained tightlipped.

CIAA chief Bhagwati Kafle told IANS that many teams were “inspecting” several organisations and he had no immediate feedback about a raid on the Dabur Nepal factory.

The media reports came after Dabur Nepal faced a vicious smear campaign said to be triggered by its refusal to advertise with certain media organisations.

The victimisation of the Indian joint venture, that is one of the biggest taxpayers in Nepal, has been condemned by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), which warned that such smear campaigns would negatively affect Indian investment in Nepal.

The matter was also taken up by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu along with the victimisation of other Indian companies and stoked a controversy when it was misinterpreted as India’s attempt to force substandard goods on Nepali consumers.