Stocked masks, sanitisers seized from Jalandhar shop; owner booked

The Jalandhar district administration on Sunday seized a huge quantity of masks and sanitisers that were allegedly hoarded to be sold at high prices in the wake of coronavirus threat, officials said.

A case under relevant sections of the Essential Commodities Act and the IPC has been registered against the owner of the shop, they said.

During the raid at a surgical equipment stockist in Jalandhar, district and police administration officials seized 1,340 pieces of N-95 masks, 238units of sanitisers (189 units of 500ml and 49 of 100ml) and 6,050 pieces of two ply masks, they said.

Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma and Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said, a joint team of Sub Divisional Magistrate and Assistant Commissioner of Police raided the shop, near Jail Road, acting on a tip-off.

The team found some materials without bills at the shop after which they raided the house of the owner in Vijay Nagar and seized the items.

They said that further investigation into the case was going on. More such crackdowns would follow in the coming days, they added.

Both the officers said these items were illegally stored in the house.

They said the administration would not allow hoarding and profiteering of essential goods and this drive would continue in the future too.