Five medical stores have lost their licences after they were found selling hand sanitisers and face masks at inflated rates in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic scare, officials said. The drug department has been conducting raids on a number of retail and wholesale medical stores in the district following several complaints of black marketing of precautionary equipment to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 infection, such as masks and sanitisers.
These raids were conducted alongside proper planning with govt officials.
Raids were conducted under the directive of additional city magistrate (ACM)acting upon the instruction of the district magistrate (DM).
Ghaziabad DM Ajay Shanker Pandey stated while issuing a statement to media, “ACM himself went to the medical stores and bought face masks and sanitisers from these shops, he found that the store owners charged exorbitant prices of these two items and refused to provide any bills for the purchase.”
Five medical stores have lost their licences and hence they are barred from getting involved in selling precautionary items on excessive rates, Pandey said.
Stringent action would follow medical store owners found to be “looting” the people by taking advantage of their fear from coronavirus
