KATHMANDU, May 4: As the government bodies are busy preparing for the upcoming local elections, a number of traders have been found cheating the consumers through hikes in prices and artificial shortages.

KATHMANDU, Jan 19: Nepal Police arrested operators of two pharmacies from Hetauda on the charge of taking high prices for facemasks.

KATHMANDU, May 11: With the government authorities failing to conduct effective market monitoring, the black market of safety medical accessories such as disposable face masks and oximeters are found to be rampant.

KATHMANDU, Nov 8: Remdesivir, an antiviral medication, which has been permitted to be used as an emergency medication against COVID-19 by the government, has been found being sold at exorbitantly higher prices.

We had an earthquake and our government was nowhere to be found for a few days while we, the people, were helping each other out. We had a blockade and we were left to go searching for cooking gas and fuel in the black market while the government was, as usual, busy doing nothing. And now, with the coronavirus pandemic, our government is once again ill-prepared to tackle the spread of the virus and it seems like, as always, it does not have any plans to help us if we face the same crisis that other countries around the world have been fighting for a while now.

KATHMANDU, March 19: A numbers of gasoline sellers have been found to be involved in the black marketing of the petroleum products taking undue advantage of soaring demand for essentials amid ongoing threat of  COVID-19 and weak government monitoring.

The market is getting crowded. People are in buying spree for Dashain. And this is the time that shopkeepers tend to suddenly increase the price of everything. Price of essential goods like rice, lentils, oil, sugar and vegetables have already gone up.  Their demand will increase in the coming days and weeks. In the absence of effective monitoring from the government, shopkeepers will go on a price hike war.

BAJHANG, May 2: Yarsa collectors in Bajhang district have been accused of exchanging the valuable herb for alcoholic beverages. The people involved in the shady business are suspected of having set up a black market, solely for the purpose.