LAHORE, Oct 20: City District Government revenue officers and town municipal officers on Wednesday sentenced 16 shopkeepers to three to 15 days imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs200,000 on 168 others for selling the essential commodities at exorbitant prices. Another 20 were proceeded against for failure to display price lists.

The teams nabbed the shopkeepers during price checking raids in Garhi Shahu, Saddar, Shadman, Gulberg, Samanabad, Pakki Thathi, Wahdat Colony, Liaqatabad, Sanda, Gulshan-i-Ravi, Nasirabad, Gowalmandi, New Anarkali, Islampura, Millat Park, Ghazi Road and Gulgasht Colony.

District labour officers checked the weights and scales of 60 shopkeepers and fined 20 of them for under-weighing. They also handed over six shopkeepers to the police for overcharging.

CDG food squad destroyed 1,500 'samosa' rolls and 770kg spurious ketchup during raids on burger and chargha shops in Dharampura, Mughalpura, Garhi Shahu, Ravi Road and Shahdara. The squad also seized 200kg spurious butter prepared from vegetable ghee and 800kg of ketchup.

Cases were instituted against those preparing and selling spurious ketchup and butter.