Kathmandu, March 16: The Kathmandu Police on Sunday (March 15) arrested seven individuals alongside over 160,000 pieces face masks they stored to sell on the black market. Promoting black marketing of face masks is punishable and those arrested were found to have been selling each piece of facemask at Rs 30 to Rs 40 against its actual price of Rs 5, said Deputy Superintendent of Police Hobindra Bogati.
At present, demand for facemasks is increasing amid coronavirus fear. A police team acting on a tip-off seized godowns at Kapan and Satungal the offenders were running and confiscated the amount of facemasks, he said. Earlier on Saturday, the police arrested eight persons along with 78,000 pieces of face masks they stored to sell illegally from Dallu.