Commodity prices go up due to making extra profit than extortion: Minister

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Saturday attributed the price hike of essentials in Dhaka to the traders’ tendency to make extra profit than extortion.

Despite this fact, he said, the police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have taken a tough stand on preventing extortion.

“What is being sold at Tk20 at Karwan Bazar is being sold at Tk40 a short distance away. That means, thinking about making more profit is more impactful here than extortion. We have found this after calculating the amount of extortion from a truck heading towards Dhaka from Jashore,” he told reporters after a programme at Police Staff College Bangladesh in Mirpur.

The minister said the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway has already been brought under CCTV cameras to stop extortion and in the future, all highways will be covered by CCTV cameras.

When asked about taking action against those who are increasing the prices of essential items to make extra profit, Asaduzzaman said apart from law enforcement agencies, various departments, including the Directorate of National Consumers Right Protection, work here.

The law enforcement agencies perform their assigned duties whenever the issue is brought before them, he added.