Consumer Affairs Authority conducts over 24,000 raids in 2024

The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) carried out a total of 24,761 raids in 2024, leading to 23,953 legal cases being filed against violators. 

The Magistrate’s Court has imposed fines exceeding Rs. 207 million for cases that have been concluded.

Authorities have also instructed officers to promptly file cases for pending raids and take swift action against violations.

The raids targeted traders violating the Consumer Affairs Authority Act, including offenses such as:

Selling goods above the Maximum Retail Price (MRP)
Failure to display product details and prices correctly
Altering marked prices or using deceptive pricing methods
Not providing warranties for electrical appliances
Hoarding stocks
Failing to issue proper invoices
Engaging in anti-competitive practices
Selling goods with unfair conditions

Additionally, the raids covered a wide range of consumer goods, including food, cosmetics, medicines, building materials, and electrical appliances. 
The highest number of raids were conducted on:

Rice – 3,114 raids
Bread – 1,624 raids
Biscuits – 1,086 raids

Supermarkets, restaurants, drugstores, ready-made clothing shops, mobile phone and electronics stores, building material outlets, and cosmetics shops were among the primary targets.

Raids were conducted nationwide, with the highest number recorded in the districts of Kurunegala, Gampaha, Kandy, Kegalle, Puttalam, Anuradhapura, Ampara, Batticaloa, and Matara—each conducting over 1,000 raids. Kurunegala led with 2,282 raids.

For 2025, the CAA has directed officers to act promptly on consumer complaints, inspect businesses islandwide, and use intelligence networks to identify and prosecute violators.