The confiscated materials were kept in boxes, which were hidden at a secret place and covered with wall décor.
The Sharjah Municipality has seized a huge quantity of banned items and goods, including niswar, from two warehouses during a crackdown recently.
The confiscated materials were kept in boxes, which were hidden at a secret place and covered with wall décor, said Mohamed Al Kabbi, director of inspection and city control.
During the crackdown, the inspectors detected suspicious movement at the two sites and deployed surveillance teams. The teams found out about the stockpiled banned materials and raided the warehouses. Many Asians, running the illegal business, were apprehended.
The seized materials were destroyed by the municipality in coordination with Bee’ah. The owners were referred to public prosecution in coordination which the Sharjah Police on charges of possessing banned items and causing damage to the environment.
Al Kabbi added the municipality has deployed 40 inspection teams in various parts of city and are carrying out regular surprise inspections. The inspectors are working round the clock in residential, commercial and industrial areas to detect any negative behaviour.
Illegal mobile vendors caught
Al Kabbi pointed out that the municipality teams also carried out inspections at the illegal pop-up markets and caught mobile vendors selling niswar, fake products and expired food. The products, which were being offered at low prices to attract customers, were seized and donated to charities, he added.
Al Kabbi said that the violators take advantage of the current pleasant weather to create an unauthorised market targeting workers at labour accommodations and people with low income. They display their goods, which come from unknown sources, and sell them at a cheap price. “The seized food items were found to be unfit for consumption as the vendors bring leftover and expired food and pack them for sale.”
Most of those who were caught during the inspections were found to be staying in the country illegally, while some were even wanted by the police, he added.
