Merchant Arrested for Burning 59 Tons of Onions in Alleged Price Manipulation Scheme

Vegetable traders were panicked after this fire that ravaged 59 tons of onions worth 600,000 dirhams, reports the daily Akhbar. Alerted, the local authorities and the police services went to the scene accompanied by the firefighters who managed to control the fire after more than an hour and a half of operation.

The elements of the judicial police and their colleagues from the scientific and technical police opened an investigation to determine the causes and circumstances of this arson. According to the preliminary investigation, the fire was caused as part of a settlement of scores related to market speculation.

Some merchants take advantage of the anarchy that has set in in the market due to the lack of control by the competent services to illegally store vegetables and sell them when prices are on the rise in order to make the biggest profit.