Staff Report
Rawalpindi: Scores of shopkeepers on Saturday barred a special price magistrate from checking the price lists and slapping fines to the profiteers and humiliated him by dubbing “fake and fraudster,” informed sources.
Even, the shopkeepers called the police in the area to arrest the special price magistrate namely Sardar Muhammad Khan, they said.
However, the police rescued the price magistrate who had lodged a complaint with Police Station (PS) Race Course against the accused shopkeepers, sources said.
According to details, SPM Sardar Muhammad Khan, following orders of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Capt (R) AnwaarUlHaq, was checking the price lists in Afshan Colony markets when he found five shopkeepers involved in fleecing consumers.
The price magistrate slapped fine on five shopkeepers that made the traders infuriated and they surrounded the price magistrate and accused him of being a bogus price magistrate who is on duty sans police squad.
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Some of the shopkeepers tried to scuffle with the government official. In the meanwhile, police were called by the shopkeepers. After verification, police escorted the special price magistrate to PS Race Course where he filed a complaint against the three shopkeepers for registration of FIR on account of interference into official matter and humiliating him.
Meanwhile, an eyewitness told The Nation that SPM was receiving fines from profiteers and pocketing it without issuing any challan chit to the violators.
This act of magistrate made the shopkeepers suspicious and they caught him and alerted police.
Station House Officer (SHO) PS Race Course SI SardarPervaiz, however, when contacted, confirmed that special price magistrate Sardar Muhammad Khan faced resistance on part of shopkeepers when he fined them for selling edibles on high rates. He said a case has been registered against shopkeepers on complaint of SPM. Police would arrest the accused soon, he said.
