MANSEHRA: The food department has fined over 200 traders and shopkeepers across Hazara division over profiteering and hoarding during the current coronavirus lockdown.

“We won’t allow anyone to take unlawful benefit from the Covid-19 emergency, so launched a crackdown on profiteers and hoarders across Hazara,” divisional assistant director of the food department Imtiaz Mohammad Khan told reporters here on Thursday.

He said the crackdown launched on the orders of food minister Qalandar Lodhi would continue until the objectives were achieved.

Mr Imtiaz said the department had imposed over Rs0.7 million fine on profiteers and hoarders and was ensuring the adequate availability of essential goods on the market.

He said samples of around 30 essential commodities collected from shops were sent to a Peshawar laboratory for testing and the necessary action would be taken after the lab report reached the department.

PROBE LAUNCHED: The district police have launched an inquiry against a group of swindlers.

The action was taken on the orders of DPO Sadiq Baloch over the application of Tariq Adil Khankhel, who insisted the group mostly consisted of Afghan nationals took away large sumbs of money from people across Hazara division through the sale of vehicles with tempered documents, double files and without non-custom payment.

The DPO appointed deputy superintendent of police, Shinkiari, Tahir Khan as the inquiry officer and asked him to produce the inquiry report within a week.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2020