By Sita Sharma, Kathmandu, Sept. 16: A joint market monitoring team of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City on Wednesday took under control a seller of potatoes and onions based at Balkhu.

The team in which Metropolitan police was also included caught merchant Sunil KC red handed while selling onions in excessive price and took him under control.

The monitoring teach confiscated some 240 sacks of onions kept secretly in hidden state and handed them to the police office in Kalimati.

Madhav Timalsina, consumer rights activist, who was also involved in the monitoring team, said that it was also found that merchant KC was selling onions to those who paid him higher price to a greater amount than to others.

He said it was also found during monitoring that onion was purchased at Rs. 48 a kg whereas sold at Rs. 140 a kg.

Hari Bahadur Bhandari who led the joint monitoring team said that merchant KC would face punishment as per laws against black marketing as he was nabbed with evidence.

Onion price skyrocketed on Tuesday after a rumour that India had banned export of onion. Onion was sold at Rs. 65 a kg till Monday.

Meanwhile, a monitoring team of Commerce, Supply and Consumer Rights Protection Department on Tuesday inspected Kalimati vegetable and fruits market and instructed six sellers who were selling onion in higher price to come to the Department with the bill of the purchase price.