KOTA BARU, March 5 — The owner of a pharmacy in Pasir Mas which sold masks to consumers only if they also bought hand sanitisers has been hauled up by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP).

The offence was detected after Pasir Mas KPDNHEP enforcement officers went undercover to check, following complaints from the public

Pasir Mas KPDNHEP chief enforcement officer Md Asmadi Shafii said the operations was conducted at 9.15 a.m. today after the department received complaints from the public about the conditional sale of masks in a pharmacy here.

He said the masks would be sold on condition the consumer also purchased a hand sanitiser.

Md Asmady said the 46-year-old owner of the premises was found to have committed an offence under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.

If found guilty, the owner can be sentenced to a fine of up to RM100,000 or a jail sentence up to three years, or both.

"For the record, this is the first case involving masks in the state,” Md Asmady said. — Bernama