ATTOCK, Nov 23: Special magistrates conducted surprise raids in the markets of various towns in Attock district on Tuesday to catch traders overcharging or hoarding sugar.

Inundated by public complaints about profiteering and hoarding of the commodity, the District Coordination Officer sent the magistrate on the mission who fined Mohammad Mohsin, a shopkeeper in Attock city, Rs35,000 for charging higher than the fixed price of Rs72 per kg.

In Fatehjang, they imposed a fine of Rs23,000 each on three shopkeepers Mohammad Habib, Mohammad Mukhtar and Safeer Khan for overcharging for sugar.

Tehsil Muncipal officer Mubarik Ali said that strict monitoring of sugar price yielded positive results and many local traders had started selling the commodity at fixed.

However, the administration could not seize any big stock of hoarded sugar despite a numbers of complaints by the people that traders had shifted a large stock of sugar to undisclosed place.

Sources said during a raid at wholesale market when traders were asked about disappearance of the precious commodity they said the stock was finished, whereas before fixing of sugar price, there was no shortage of sugar and it was being sold at Rs110.