Punjab's Vigilance Bureau arrests chemist selling sanitisers, masks at exorbitant rates

To keep a check on the prices of essential commodities during the curfew imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, Punjab's Vigilance Bureau on Friday arrested a chemist who was found to be selling sanitisers and masksat exorbitant rates.

On the basis of complaints that they had received, a Vigilance Bureau flying squad team led by Assistant IG Ashish Kapoor raided a pharmacy in Mohali and found that sanitisers and masks were being sold to the public at much higher rates than the MRP.

The vigilance team immediately arrested the owner of the chemist shop Dinesh Kumar, a spokesperson of the Vigilance Bureau said here.

In a statement here, he said an FIR was registered against the accused under relevant provisions of the law.

Chief Director Vigilance Bureau B K Uppal has already directed all the officers to keep a strict vigil on the shops and suppliers in the state to check the prices and hoardings of essential goods during the curfew, he said.

Apart from this, all officials have also been instructed to keep a close watch on the vendors and suppliers who are hoarding essential items meant for public and deliberately not following the orders of the government to prevent the spread of coronavirus, he added.