Kathmandu, March 18
Police in Kathmandu on Wednesday arrested a man in possession of as many as one million surgical masks at a time when members of the public are reeling under an acute shortage of them in the wake of coronavirus fears.
The arrestee has been identified as Binod Neupane, a permanent resident of Gorkha district of western Nepal. A team deployed from the Metropolitan Crime Division nabbed him in Sano Bharyang, Swayambhu of Kathmandu.
The division’s chief, SSP Sahakul Bahadur Thapa, says police had launched a manhunt after receiving a tip-off that Thapa was selling the masks at a price higher than the market price.
Earlier on Tuesday, the police had arrested a trader, Rupesh Rauniyar, in possession of 16 cartons of hand sanitiser. He was found to be selling a bottle of sanitiser for Rs 250, for which he had paid just Rs 80.
Before this also, the law enforcement personnel had already arrested a few for their alleged involvement in the black marketing of surgical masks.
